Killer Instincts
by Chronic Potterphile
Summary: Harry is a happily married Auror, who realises that the past can't always resolve itself, when he meets Ginny on a case. Ron and Hermione, on the other hand, seem to be tired of each other. Tempers are running high and the patience is waning. Is their marriage going downhill? And will the Aurors find the person responsible for the mysterious London serial killings? HP/GW RW/HrG
1. Prologue

**This story is a non-epilogue compliant mix of mystery with romance, and please remember that all 36 chapters aren't just either romance or mystery. I will juggle the plot strands, and if you're looking for plain romance, this is not your place.**

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**SUMMARY**

******London:** _Four murders have taken place under bizarre circumstances, for what seems to be an equally bizarre reason._

Harry, a happily wedded man with a wonderful wife and a cute daughter, is an Auror at the Ministry of Magic and is now given a new case to solve with Ron and four other Aurors. Incidentally, the four Aurors include Ginny, Harry's 'schoolboy crush'; and it turns out to be much more than a crush when Harry sees her again. What's more is that Harry is working upon a case that seems to connect to him directly. And once again, it opens up old fears: fears of losing loved ones.

Ron, on the other hand, seems to be tired of Hermione. Tempers are running high and fights are breaking out more often than usual. Are they really falling apart? Or can they sort this out before it is too late?

Then there is the case itself. Who is trustworthy, and who is not? Who is deadly enough to murder four people in cold blood?

Indulge into the gut-wrenching action, combined with warm romance and tingling suspense; while I tell you a story of love, ambition and obsession… a story of what those _killer instincts_ can do.  
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**DISCLAIMER: Nothing you recognise belongs to me. It's all property of Queen Jo.**

**A/N:** Ok, so this is the first novel I completed, and I'm very proud of it. I started writing this in early 2007, which means it's been six years (:o) and also that I was six years younger; so this might seem a little juvenile and teenager-ish.

The principle pairings here are Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione. I also have an OC/OC pairing on the side, but they have their separate sequel, so if anyone is interested, I can post that after this one. :)

That said, before you read the story, I'd like to remind you that in early 2007, DH hadn't come out yet, so this one is compliant upto book 6. Of course, since this is post-war, the only relavance this has is that the story is not compliant with the epilogue. Ron and Hermione have two kids; I renamed them Rose and Hugo but in the original fic, the boy is older than the girl, so yes, Hugo will be elser to Rose. But once again, that really doesn't matter as far as the plot is concerned, because Ron and Hermione's kids are not very significant here. And this also means there's no compliance to the post-DH information that JK Rowling gave us about everyone's lives and occupation.

I hope all that didn't drive you away yet, and if it didn't, I present my first-ever novel, Killer Instincts. Please note that this is the beginning, so before you ask any "OMG HOW? WHY?" questions, I'd like to say that it will all be explained in chapter 1. Enjoy!

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**PROLOGUE**

A stream of sunlight illuminated the dark grey stone floor as it poured down from the high gothic-style stained glass windows of the cathedral. The neatly arranged seats had been occupied by a large number of people who were attending the wedding. The people belonging to the bride's side were wearing traditional gowns and suits while the people from the side of the bridegroom were dressed in saris and sherwanis- the traditional Indian attire.

Ron, who was playing the role of the best man, smoothed his beige coloured sherwani and scanned the room for his wife, Hermione. Oh yes… there she was- dressed in a rust coloured embroidered sari and light jewellery. She was carrying their three-month-old son, Hugo, in her arms. Ron smiled at her and she returned it. Then, he looked aside and smiled warmly at his best friend and the bridegroom, Harry. Harry too, like Ron, was dressed in a sherwani, though it was white. A thin red dupatta patterned with blue squares and trimmed with gold dangled lankly from the man's neck and a sort of headgear decorated his forehead, two rows of strings hanging down his temples. With these Maharashtrian wedding clothes, Harry looked somewhat like an Anglo-Indian, what with his stunningly green eyes and jet black hair.

"Ron?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"It's just t-that…" Harry looked jittery.

"Nervous?" asked Ron.

Harry nodded rather hesitantly.

"Don't worry, mate," said Ron, clapping his hand on Harry's shoulder. "It will be all right. I felt the same way at first, but I got through it, didn't I?"

Harry took a deep breath as the bridal march started to play and everybody rose to their feet. And then she came in, walking gracefully towards Harry. She was escorted by her father and the flower girl was throwing rose petals for her to walk on. Her white wedding gown was arranged with tiny silver stars and her fingers caressed the white roses in her hands in a gracefully nervous manner. She was looking shyly at the floor, her veil rippling elegantly as she did so. Finally, she reached the altar and stood beside Harry.

Harry reached out for her veil shakily and put it back for her, gasping as he did so. She had worn no make-up at all, yet the natural crimson colour on her dusky cheeks reaching right down her throat made her look gorgeous. Her innocent deep brown eyes looked at Harry's green ones with warmth and love. Her long and shiny black locks were arranged beautifully in curly bundles. Even though Harry wondered why Parvati was so inclined to curl up her straight hair, he had to agree to himself that her beauty was truly breath-taking.

The Minister started to talk, about love, commitment and marriage, but Harry was paying no attention to him. His eyes were only on the beautiful woman in front of him; adoring every moment of this precious day in his life. And then came the pasr that Harry had been waiting for.

"Do you, Harry Potter, accept this woman, Parvati Patil as your wedded wife and promise to love, honour, comfort, and keep her in sickness and health as long as you both shall live?" the priest asked.

"I do."

"Do you, Parvati Patil, accept this man, Harry Potter as your wedded husband and promise to love, honour, comfort, and keep him in sickness and health as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"You may now kiss the bride."

There was a shower of red sparks, as Harry bent forward and kissed Parvati on her lips, feeling her soft fingers on his cheeks. Huge applause issued through the cathedral, echoing from the stone walls. Then, Harry took Parvati's hand in his and the couple walked out of the cathedral, all the guests applauding them loudly and following the couple outside. Harry and Parvati walked on down the narrow road outside the church and turned right, finally going through a gateway decorated with strings of marigold, jasmines and roses. Harry looked up and saw the temple, with its marble pillars and dome glinting brilliantly in the sunshine.

Leaving their shoes outside, the couple walked past the temple and went into a hall behind the building. The hall was huge, it's pillars bedecked with flowers. There was a plinth in the centre of the hall with a small depression in the centre, surrounded by bricks. The depression looked like a square well, except for the fact that there was a fire cackling merrily in it. There was a priest sitting beside the fire, putting spoons of clarified butter into it. The fumes made Harry's eyes burn slightly, as he walked alongside Parvati to sit on the plinth. After the duo had seated themselves cross- legged, the guests began to fill up the hall. They waited for everyone to seat themselves.

Finally, Padma came up to them from the back and bent forwards. She had a small, red container in her hand. "Congratulations!" she whispered, removing the lid of the container and giving it to Parvati, who took it her right hand and extended it towards Harry. She gestured to him to smear it on Parvati's forehead, at the parting of her hair. Harry, bewildered by this, stared at Padma's hennaed palm numbly for a second before sticking his right thumb into the container and drawing it out shakily. He looked at the vermilion that had stuck on to his thumb and gradually applied it to the parting of Parvati's hair. There was a large amount of applause again and puffed rice was showered on Harry and Parvati.

There was a moment of silence, after which Padma gave Harry a necklace of tiny black beads. He put it on Parvati's neck with a third round of applause. The applause subsided and Padma stepped forward again. She tied Harry's scarf to a small portion of Parvati's gown, with Parvati standing in front of Harry. Harry extended his right hand and held Parvati's right hand, which she had stretched backwards. The priest on the floor started uttering prayers from the Vedas, as Parvati led Harry around the fire in a clockwise direction. They took seven rounds around it, each time, promising to protect and love each other, regarding the fire as their witness, as rose petals were showered on them.

When the rounds were done, the couple stopped before the altar and detached themselves from each other. Padma smiled at the duo and said to Harry, "Go on, you can hold her hand while walking out." Harry smiled back at Padma and held Parvati's hand as they started walking down the aisle to go outside the hall. Soon, Parvati broke her hand free of his, as Padma came up to her, holding out a plate of rice.

Tears streaming down her face, Parvati filled her palms with rice and flung it behind her. She repeated the procedure quite a few number of times, finally triggering even Padma to tears. At last, Harry and Parvati walked outside the hall, finding a red car decorated with flowers waiting outside for them. They got into the car.

"Come home soon," said a choked-up Padma, looking at her twin through the window of the car.

"Sure!" Parvati said, giving Padma a watery smile. "I'll come soon. Make sure you visit me too!"

Harry looked onto his other side, to see the people he loved smiling at him. All the Weasleys except for Ginny, were present. Ginny was completing her internship at an Auror school in Australia. She had not received admission in the day school for Aurors at London itself, due to shortage of seats in the years after the war.

All the Weasleys beamed at Harry; Mrs. Weasley was controlling her sobs with difficulty. Harry felt happiness erupt in his chest. _He was married now._ Just then, Parvati's cousins pushed the car forward for a short distance, after which the couple sped off home in their car; ready to begin a new life.

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**End Notes:**

So what say? Yay or nay? Should I continue? Let me know! I love reviews! :D

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**Okay, despite that lengthy A/N, I'm getting reviews about people being disappointed that this is 'not Harry/Ginny'. Now, I'm not luring anyone under any false pretenses of this being H/G without having any intention to make it H/G. If you think I have nothing better to do than to trick people into reading my _fanfiction _of all things, please go have a look at my bio. It will tell you that I'm a busy person and really, I have no time for rubbish pranks at the moment. Also, I'd like you to remember that since I'm the person who plotted and wrote this story, it's quite obvious that I know what I'm doing, and also that I know about the ships that this includes. If you want to jump to conclusions about this fic (which happens to be a 36 chaptered novel) right after reading the first two chapters, be my guest, but if you can just be patient and read on, you'll see what I mean by this being H/G and R/Hr. There are a lot of chapters to go, and if everything were to happen right here, in the prologue, there would be no point in having 36 chapters. So yes, this is a long story, you have to be patient, and if you can't, well... sorry about that. Also, sorry if I come across as mean and scary- I just want to get my point across, and I am trying to be firm; not mean. Thank you. :)**


	2. The New Case

**The ships in this story are Harry/Ginny AND Ron/Hermione. I would appreciate it if you remain patient about the H/G part, and not try to suggest that I lured you here under false pretenses. And if you don't ship Ronmione, please don't read the story. Thank you.  
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**Author's Notes:**

Okay, so I'm posting chapter 1 right now- mostly because the prologue is very short, and I want you to get an idea of this story. On the pairing front, this chapter is about Harry and Ginny, and the Ronmione part starts next chapter. I changed this to Harry/Ginny, because that's what the beginning seems to depict, and well... this is still Ronmione too.

But I'm repeating: Harry/Ginny AND Ron/Hermione, everyone. Both the stories are going to be there and I do hope you ship them. :) Also, a third, minor ship will come into play in the later chapters, it will be an OC pairing, and if you're curious, they're on the cover thingy that I've created for this story. Clickie that thing, and you can see them. And I'm saying this right now- I may seem obsessed with them at times, because I AM very much obsessed with them (who doesn't love their OCs?).

Anyway, I've machete-d this chapter brutally. It was unbelievably sporky and it made me want to hide my face somewhere (I swear Ron sounded like Hermione in some parts). So I decided I'd just go on and try to salvage each chapter before I could submit it. It's mainly basic description and characterisation that I have to correct, which is unbelievably boring, but which I have to do if I want you to enjoy this.

About updates- Story is complete: It has Prologue+36 chapters (please don't run away). But I need to use, as my Beta friend calls it, a pistol on all the chapters and cut down my teenage sloppiness and right the wrong characters and everything, so I will do it as and when I find time. I have two other WIPs going (A chaptered, co-authored Scorose and another Hinny+Ronmione which I've just finished plotting), PLUS, I'm currently converting the sequel to this story into original fiction (yay to my OCs!) so... it might take a while sometimes, but should be AT LEAST once a week.

Okay, shall stop rambling, and offer my acknowledgements:

I am grateful to my Beta, Pauie (LucillaJoanna) for correcting this fic. She was there with me for a good part of the journey, and it was very enjoyable having her. Thank you, Pauie!

Please R/R!

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**Chapter 1: The New Case**

**Three years later.**

"Ron, duck. Quick!"

Harry ducked as the dummy of the Death Eater approached him. He did a duck-walk for a short distance and looked up again, only to see a mass of flaming red hair visible over the opposite wall.

_"Transmittere,"_he said, touching his lips to the tip of his wand. A reddish glow emanated from it. Then he spoke onto his wandtip.

"I can see your hair. Duck more."

"Yeah, just a mo'," said Ron, and within a few seconds the red mass of hair vanished below the wall.

"That's better," Harry said, taking a few more steps in his duck-walk. He finally stopped when he saw a Death Eater approaching him from the opposite side. Waiting for about a second, he suddenly stood up, catching the dummy unawares. _"Expelliarmus!"_

The dummy's wand flew out of its wooden fingers and Harry grabbed the opportunity to send another attack. _"Petrificus Totalus!"_

The dummy fell forwards as though paralysed. Harry scrambled out of the way and stood up, finding himself face-to-face with a Dementor. Immediately, a fog erupted before his eyes and he could already hear screams… screams of his mother when she was facing her last moments… Harry tried to think of something happy and raised his wand… but it was too late… he was dissolving in the fog… a pair of clammy hands clutched his arms… he could smell the putrid breath of the Dementor…

"Hang on, mate, _Riddikulus!"_

The Dementor turned into a legless spider and vanished in a puff of smoke. Harry, however, fell to the ground, panting and sweating heavily. He steadied himself in a second and sat up, clutching his spinning head and looking groggily at the blurred image of Ron crouching beside him.

It took some time for Harry's focus to come back. He wiped his sweaty forehead on his sleeve and grimaced at Ron.

"You saved my life."

Ron grinned. "Do you need chocolate?"

"Yeah, I think so," Harry replied.

Ron summoned a mug of hot chocolate and passed it to Harry, who drank it and felt warmth filling his cold body. Every cell indulged into the comfort as he drained the cocoa. At last, he smacked his lips and Vanished the mug.

"Come on let's go to the main office," Ron said, helping Harry to his feet. The duo started walking towards the door that led out of the Auror Training Room.

"All dummies down, then?" Harry questioned, as Ron locked the door of the room behind them.

"Yeah, you did away with the last one."

There was silence as they walked down the long corridor outside the Training Room and stopped in front of a line of elevators with golden grilles. Ron pressed the button and the lift arrived at once. Its doors opened with a clang and the two friends stepped in. Harry pressed the button of level two and the lift set off, making clanging noises. A few memos zoomed in and out at several levels; otherwise, the lift was quite empty.

"Level Two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters and Wizengamot Administration Services."

Harry and Ron got out of the lift and went round the corner through a heavy doorway made of oak. The room beyond was divided into cubicles and had a cheerful, comforting air. Harry's talking and laughing colleagues waved at him merrily, and he waved back, relieved to be rid of the hopeless feeling that the Dementor seemed to have given him. At last, he found his cubicle. The walls were covered with maps, enlarged Quidditch magazine covers and newsprints regarding the most notorious Death Eaters. A thin blue file and a laminated photo of himself, Parvati and their year-old daughter, Naina, waving happily were placed on his desk. The dustbin below all this was overflowing with crumpled bits of parchment.

Harry flopped onto his chair, while Ron walked to his own cubicle that was next to Harry's. The other man too, slumped onto his chair. "Harry," he said, "we've got to get on with a new case, don't you think?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"I mean to say; don't you reckon this Death Eater catching business has grown boring? I want something new."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Well… that's what we're supposed to do, aren't we? We have been given this position to catch Death Eaters."

"_Dark wizards_, Harry, not Death Eaters," Ron corrected him. "There is a difference. Not all dark wizards are Death Eaters."

"Hermione is growing on you," Harry pointed out to him.

Ron grinned back at him. "She _is_my wife, isn't she? But I'd still like to do something different. Some other case."

"I can't conjure cases out of thin air," Harry replied and proceeded to open the blue file on his desk. "Blimey, did you see this, Ron?" he asked, picking up a printed piece of parchment from the Head of Auror Office, William Walanger.

"Yep," said Ron. "When's your appointment?"

"Right now," Harry answered. He got up from his chair without further ado and walked towards the oak doors, only to find Ron following him.

"What are you coming for?" he asked Ron.

"Well, looks like we've got a joint appointment."

The duo walked out of the doorway, turned round the corner and walked past the elevator, finding themselves in the middle of yet another corridor. They walked farther, until another turning came. They took it and entered a row of offices with doors of frosted glass. These harboured the senior-most Aurors, and Harry and Ron didn't stop walking until they got to the last office in the row.

Harry could see blurred figures through the frosted glass and guessed that there were other Aurors who had been asked to meet Walanger. It took a few minutes until the door opened and three women walked out, talking to each other in whispers. Harry, however, had eyes for only one of them.

The woman had long, flaming red hair, which she had tied up in a ponytail. She wore a set of formal olive-green robes and was in deep conservation with one of the other women with her. Quite suddenly, her friend tapped her shoulder. She looked up at Harry and smiled. "Hi, Harry."

Harry felt as though he were coming down a roller coaster. His stomach gave a mighty jolt as he licked his lips and said, "H-Hi, Ginny."

But she had left. "Earth to, Harry!" said a voice and Harry snapped out of his reverie to see an indignant Ron. "I thought you two split-up back in our sixth year?" he demanded.

"Yeah," Harry said. "So what?"

"So, you shouldn't be looking at her like that. She's my sister _and_ you're married to someone else."

"Why didn't you tell me she was back, though?" Harry asked him.

"Slipped my mind," shrugged Ron.

At that moment, Walanger called them in. Harry followed Ron into the cabin, his mind racing. What had just happened?

Inside the office, Walanger pointed to the seats before his desk and Harry sat down beside Ron, his heart still racing and the image of Ginny still running through his mind. He tried to relax. He had seen Ginny after a long time, and there had been a lot of unresolved feelings once they'd broken up in his sixth year. They'd never got a chance to rekindle their relationship after the war, with the funerals, and Harry having been summoned by Kingsley, the new Minister, to round up the remaining Death Eaters along with Ron and Neville. The first chase had lasted a solid five months and though they wrote to each other regularly, Ginny was already back at Hogwarts with Hermione. And then Harry had been extremely busy rounding up the most notorious Death Eaters, and apart from once or twice, he and Ginny never did get to meet and discuss their relationship.

She wanted to be an Auror, and since the Auror training schools in Britain were all full; she decided to go to an institute in Australia. It was a three-year course there, plus an internship for a year. After that, Ginny also had a work-bond of two years, which meant she was stuck there for six whole years. The Weasleys couldn't afford to keep having her home during her holidays; so it was a mutual decision that she'd be back once she had completed her training.

In this while, Harry and Ginny enthusiastically exchanged letters in the beginning, but then they got busy, and the distance caused them to start concentrating on other things, which meant that the letters came down to a minimum, until they weren't there at all. After that in a particularly dangerous Death Eater chase, Harry was almost fatally injured. They had rushed him to St Mungo's hospital where, one of the Healers taking care of him was Parvati. And then as he remembered the rest of the story, about how they fell in love, and got married, Harry felt a dazed smile creep up his face.

"Mr Potter?"

Harry's conscience jumped back to reality and he saw that Walanger seemed amused. Any other boss would have been angry. For any other boss, it would be 'Potter and not 'Mr Potter'. But Wlanger was probably one of the politest people Harry had met.

"I have great news for both of you," Walanger said, and paused, opening a drawer and picking up two envelopes out of it." He looked up at them. "I am impressed with your exceptional work in last year… and…" he pushed the envelopes forward, "You're promoted."

It took a minute for the news to sink in, before Harry and Ron both broke into grins. "That's-that's great!" said Harry. "Thank you!"

"You deserve it," Walanger replied to him, a trace of a smile still on his face. "Your new offices will be shown to you later." He sat up straight and put his arms on the desk. "I do have to talk to you about a new case, though."

"Is it related to Death Eaters?" Ron asked Walanger, and Harry could sense a sarcastic undertone in his voice.

"No," said Walanger, obviously not picking up Ron's tone of voice. "I'm putting you on the serial killing case."

There was another silence. Harry knew what Walanger was talking about. Question was— did he actually consider Harry and Ron competent enough to handle such a high-profile case? Harry's doubts, however, were put to rest when Walanger spoke again. "You will have four more Aurors joining you, of course, since this is an important case, but I trust you know about these killings?"

Harry nodded at his boss. Everyone knew about the London serial killings. The murderer had started their dirty work about a month ago, and there had been four murders ever since. All the victims were witches. And, the murders are related, in the sense that they had all been classmates at Hogwarts. They were all stabbed to death; the murderer attacked them while they were alone at home, and fled the scene leaving no clues whatsoever.

Walanger extracted a thin file from his drawer and pushed it towards Harry and Ron. "Your predecessors on this case have already investigated the first four cases and there are no clues, but I'm positive that if I put the six of you up to this, you can solve it. You just need to be on your toes."

Ron nodded and looked at Harry, who nodded too. "Okay," he said. "Who are we working with?"

"I'll call your fellow investigators," Walanger said, getting out four memos and flying them all. He sat back on his seat and they waited.

Harry sighed and leaned back to his seat as they all waited for Harry and Ron's co-workers. There was another thing that was bothering Harry- it was his twenty-fifth birthday today and no one had found it necessary to wish him. Not even Parvati. Harry wondered whether she had forgotten. She had never forgotten. But what about the Weasleys? Why hadn't they wished him? Well, it had to be some kind of a surprise that Parvati was planning…

"Ah, there you are."

Harry sat up and looked at the door. His stomach gave a jerk. Standing at the doorway were Ginny and the other two women who had just left the cabin before Harry had entered. There was also a man along with them, who Harry recognised as Anthony, his brother-in-law. Anthony had married Padma a year after Harry and Parvati had been married. Harry knew one of the other two women as Romilda Vane, a raven-haired girl, who Harry could never forget even if he wanted to, from all the incidents back in his sixth year. Harry stood up, as Walanger and Ron did the same. Walanger walked towards the women and said, "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, may I introduce you to your colleagues in this case? You know Miss Ginny Weasley of course…"

Ginny held out her hand and Harry shook it, his stomach tingling in an uncomfortable way. Alarmed at this, he jerked his hand free from Ginny's and her eyes widened a little, but she recovered.

"This is Miss Romilda Vane," said Walanger again, gesturing to the woman.

Harry shook Romilda's hand. She looked a little guilty and sheepish as she did the same. When Ron followed suit, she looked even more guilty. Next, Walanger gestured to a blonde woman with clear cerulean eyes, who Harry remembered vaguely as a Hufflepuff two years younger than himself. "This is Miss Irene Stance and this," Walanger beckoned to Anthony. "This is Mr. Anthony Goldstein."

Harry shook Irene and Anthony's hands too. Then, he walked back to Ginny. "Hey, when did you get back?"

"Yesterday," she replied. "I just got appointed in the Auror office. I'm so excited to have such a high-profile case as my first one!"

"Are you?"

"Yep," Ginny said. "I think it will be something like tracking Death Eaters… the only thing is that there will not be a You-Know-Who."

"Call him Voldemort."

"You can do that, since you were the one who defeated him. I'm comfortable calling him You-Know-Who, thanks."

"Mr. Potter? Miss Weasley?"

Harry and Ginny looked at Walanger, who spoke again. "Due to the nature and urgency of this case, we need you all to be in constant contact with each other. It will be a lot like a Death Eater chase," he looked meaningfully at Harry and Ron, "You'll need to stay together. I will allow family this time, since this can take very long, and nothing is apparent about this case yet." He paused and took a drink of water from his bottle.

"There is a Ministry guest house at Bath in the centre of a Muggle settlement and I want you all to stay there. You will all have your privacy— the house is huge enough," he said. "Be there right at seven in the morning tomorrow and the watchman will give you the keys of the place. You can all go home right now. While working on this case, you will be exempted from attending duties until you catch the culprit, because it could be difficult to catch up at this place, sometimes. And— do you need a Fidelius Charm?"

"I don't think it's necessary for now, sir," Harry said. The others nodded in agreement. "We'll let you know if we need it."

"Okay, then, good luck! You can go home now."

The six Aurors walked out of the office together. Irene and Romilda started talking to each other, while Anthony spoke to Harry and Ron for a minute or two, before departing to the Atrium. Ginny was just walking along, saying nothing while Harry tried not to look at her.

"Uh… I'll see you two at the cubicles," said Ron suddenly and walked off towards the lavatory. Harry was left with Ginny walking at his side.

Merlin, now he, Harry, would have to talk to Ginny. What would he say? They hadn't been in contact for ages, and this wasn't how Harry had ever imagined meeting Ginny again. He had thought that perhaps, it would be at a time when they wouldn't be required to stay in the same house the next day onwards.

Ginny broke the awkward silence. "So, Harry, you didn't tell me anything about yourself… what're you up to these days?"

"Oh, I'm a-an Auror ," said Harry, fumbling a little. He wanted to kick himself the moment he had said it. Of course she knew he was an Auror! What was new there? Why was he behaving like this; what on earth was wrong with him? The only thing new about his life, though, was something that he didn't know how to talk to her about.

But… surely, she'd know, wouldn't she? Hermione would have told her. One of her brothers certainly might have, or her mother. Yet… she hadn't asked him about Parvati or Naina. Oh, where was Hermione at such a time?

Ginny was currently looking at Harry with a half-confused, half-amused expression. "You know, Harry," she said when he hadn't spoken in a minute. She made a gesture as though she were sharing a secret, "I know you're an Auror. I happen to be an Auror too," she continued in a stage whisper. "I meant to ask if anything else was new."

"Well," began Harry. "Immarried."

"Huh?"

Harry did not know how to say this. "Ginny," he sighed, "I'm- I'm married."

"Oh!" Ginny smiled, but it did not look convincing. "How come no one told me? Oh Merlin! I'm going to kill Mum and Hermione for this! Such a big thing, and—" she pushed back her hair. "Who's the lucky lady?"

Was that it? Nothing else? Nothing about their relationship? Harry took a deep breath. "Parvati— Parvati Patil. We have a d-daughter… Naina."

Ginny tried to smile again. "Well, congratulations, Harry! Naina's a rather unique name…"

"Yeah," Harry replied. "Naina means 'eyes' in Hindi— you know, Parvati's language. I mean, Hindi is not Parvati's mother tongue, she says that it's this language called Marathi— I've never heard of it before— but well, my daughter is named so, because Naina has my eyes and Parvati likes them..." he went red. Hell, what was taking Ron so long in the bathroom?

For a moment, Harry thought Ginny would cry, but her lip twitched a little and curved into yet another unconvincing smile. "I guess I must get going now… see you tomorrow, and happy birthday!"

"Thanks…" Harry watched as she walked off, as Ron came up to him. Harry looked away from Ginny as he and Ron collected their belongings, pulled off their robes to reveal Muggle clothes and walked out of the office. "Didn't anyone tell Ginny about my marriage?" he asked Ron as they waited for the lift.

"Mum and Hermione told us not to tell," said Ron sheepishly. "I dunno why, though… did you tell her?"

"Yeah," said Harry.

"You still realise that I'm mad at you for breaking my sister's heart like that, don't you?" Ron asked Harry.

"Yeah," Harry reiterated as they took the lift to the Atrium and stepped outside the visitors' entrance of the Ministry. Due to all the undercover activities that they had to do, there had been a new system at the Ministry to place Aurors' houses in Muggle communities. For this reason, the Aurors could not Apparate home and had to use cars, as a result.

"Honestly," said Ron, as Harry and he walked to their respective cars. "I can't understand why they have to do all these nonsensical stuff. I mean, we're just wasting our time, using cars. Why can't we just Apparate and then modify the required number of memories?"

Harry did not say anything; he just got into his car, as Ron got into his own. "Goodbye, mate." Harry reversed and then went on, switching his car to drive mode. Harry steered smoothly down the road, adjusting his rear-view mirrors. It was dusk and the sky looked red… just like Ginny's hair. Harry's thoughts kept wandering to the time he had spent with Ginny at the Ministry. He wasn't at all looking forward to the next few months or whatsoever to be in the same house as her.

Suddenly, there was a screech of tyres. Harry looked just in time to see the car in front of him come to an abrupt halt. Swerving towards the left, Harry missed the car ahead narrowly and bumped onto the footpath instead. There was a red light and Harry had not seen it. This was what had almost caused an accident. Harry buried his face into his hands and thanked his stars that he had acted just in the nick of time. What was happening to him, now? He heard a sharp tap on his window and brought it down, as a man asked him whether he was all right. Harry nodded and bringing his car back to line, got back to driving when the signal turned green.

Twenty minutes later, he parked his car in front of his house, walked to the door and rang the doorbell. The door was opened by Parvati, who smiled at him. She was dressed in jeans and a red t-shirt. Her hair was tied into a long ponytail and Harry could just make out the small amount of vermilion that she had worn on the parting of her hair. "Hi! I thought you'd be late." She stood aside and let Harry in.

"Ron, a few others and I are on a new case," Harry said, walking to the living room. This room had two armchairs and a couch, all of which were the colour of chocolate. The walls were painted a warm yellow. The fireplace was intricately carved and a matching carved out entertainment centre stood at one end, with an LCD television on it. Both Harry and Parvati had decided to behave like Muggles in such a Muggle-packed area as theirs.

At present, Harry seated himself on a sofa. "Walanger let us off early today, but we have to start out on a case tomorrow and for that, we'll have to stay in the guest house for a couple of months— families allowed, of course, so you can come."

"Okay," Parvati said. "What's the case, about, though? Is it really going to take so long that Naina and I have to live with you while you solve it?"

"The London killings," said Harry.

Parvati's eyes widened. "They put you on that? That's a high-profile case! Wow!"

"Yep," said Harry. He grinned. "I got promoted too."

"Oh, Harry! That's lovely!" she said, throwing her arms around him.

Suddenly, Harry could smell something. "Hey," he said, breaking away slowly and sniffing the air several times, "Do I smell garlic?"

"Yep," Parvati replied.

"So that means you're cooking Indian food for a change. Am I right?" She had remembered his birthday!

"Er… no, Harry. I just brought a few to ward off vampires. I was crystal gazing and I saw one passing this street."

Harry sighed. "How do you still thing what that old fraud said was all legit?" Parvati was unbelievable at times. She was primarily a Healer, like Hermione, and the two of them had received accolades for working together and inventing a special concoction of magical herbs that could cure all sorts of cancer. Parvati hadn't been able to take NEWT Potions, but after the war, she had applied for a special course and studied Potions, hence becoming eligible for Healership. But even after having learned enough to let go of that silly Divination, she believed in it.

"Professor Trelawney wasn't a fraud," said Parvati, frowning.

"Okay, I won't say that," Harry told her. "But where's my Princess?"

"Oh, she's in her room," Parvati replied.

"Get her here, then! I've missed her!" Harry said to his wife, loosening his tie.

"Oh, sure!"

Parvati went in and Harry began pondering once again. Parvati seemed to have no memory whatsoever of Harry's birthday… he had to admit that he was a little hurt now.

"Daddy!"

Harry looked up and saw Parvati coming towards him, carrying Naina gingerly. Naina, who was about fourteen months old, was exceptionally cute. She had chubby, rosy cheeks with tiny dimples. Naina had inherited Harry's eyes. They were green and were in the shape of almonds. They looked very beautiful. Naina's complexion and hair were inherited from Parvati. Her skin was dusky and her hair was straight like Parvati's, and not sticking out on all sides like Harry's. Most of Naina's facial features were similar to Parvati's; sharp and Indian-like.

"Come here, Princess," Harry stretched out his arms and took Naina. He brought her close and hugged the girl as she giggled. "Daddy!"

Parvati sat next to Harry and looked at him making funny faces to entertain Naina. "You know, Harry, no one would say that you have defeated the most powerful Dark Lord in a century, if they saw you now."

Harry chuckled as he continued playing with his daughter, listening to her babble on and nodding his head to it all. After five minutes, he placed Naina in Parvati's lap, stood up and stretched. "I think I'll just get into my room and get changed out of these work clothes."

"Sure," Parvati said, getting up again and taking Naina in her arms. Then she looked at Harry. "I've kept your clothes on the bed. Could you change into them? I'll get Naina and myself ready by then."

Bewildered, Harry walked to the bedroom. Sure enough, Parvati had kept something emerald green on the bed. Harry took the clothes, walked into the bathroom, shut the door behind him and looked at the garment more closely to find that it was a sherwani— the same thing that he'd worn for his wedding, just a different colour. Wondering why Parvati wanted him to wear that, Harry pulled his clothes off and started putting them on.

Ginny sank onto one of the sofas of The Burrow, her home. She could not believe this: Harry was married. Why hadn't anyone ever told her about that? She had been corresponding with Hermione, and her whole family, but no one had uttered a _word_about Harry's marriage.

Ginny got up from the sofa and trudged up the stairs to her room. It had been such a long time since she had been home… so many things had changed. Shutting the door behind her, she threw herself on the bed and summoned one of the novels by her favourite author. She couldn't believe that she had waited for Harry like an idiot, while he had moved on.

Ginny stared at the small black words printed on the pages, not taking in a single alphabet and only searching for words of comfort in them. She realised that her life had been sealed for her. She only had a career ahead, nothing else. Her dream family with Harry would remain in her fantasies. Time had flown and people had changed. Harry had changed. He had gotten over his infatuation with Ginny and had moved on in life. He loved Parvati and had created his own family with her…

Ginny's eyes burned and a tear slid down her cheek, wetting the page of the novel that she had opened up. She closed the novel and fell onto her pillow face-down feeling a continuous stream of tears wet them. She did not know how long she lay like that, but soon, someone rapped at her door.

Ginny sat up and swiped at her eyes quickly. "Come in."

The door opened and Hermione stepped inside. "Hello, Ginny."

"Hey," greeted Ginny, managing a smile and rushing forward to hug the other woman. "Good to see you. How are you?"

"I'm fine." She looked at Ginny earnestly. "Oh, Ginny, I'm so sorry…"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ginny swallowed, smiling at her bravely. "I'm fine!"

"Of course you're not! And… on, I'm sorry, Ginny!" She ran her hands through her bushy hair, clutching onto them for a moment before letting go, so that they were bushier,

Ginny looked into her sister-in-law's eyes. "I don't know what you mean, Hermione."

"Oh come on, Ginny, your eyes are red," said Hermione sympathetically. "And… well… I'm sorry for not telling you…"

Ginny felt a sudden jolt of anger bubble up inside her. She wanted to tell Hermione to get out of the room for lying to her; she wanted to scream, shout, hex everyone… but then she understood Hermione's reason for not telling her. She understood why everyone had remained quiet.

"So Harry is married," she said in a hoarse voice, looking down. Without warning, tears started leaking out of her eyes again. She buried her face into her palms, shaking, as Hermione gasped and enshrouded her in a hug. "Why d-did Harry do this, Hermione? I-I thought that he l-loved me. I w-waited for him… I waited f-for the war to e-end. He n-never waited for me…"

Hermione pulled Ginny closer and pat her back sadly. "I know that this is hard for you, Ginny, and I'm really sorry about not telling you of Harry and Parvati's marriage. It was all so unexpected… so sudden… well, I was in a kind of shock too and it took me some time to allow it all to sink in when he proposed to her."

She paused, letting Ginny process the details, and then continued. "He loved you, he really did, but then you lost contact… and he got injured… well, but he married Parvati out of gratitude for what she had done. He was almost dead after a particularly badly planned Death Eater chase. We were all left in a situation where we were literally counting the days for him to live. You wouldn't know what it feels like… and then, Parvati somehow got him out before he reached his grave. Of course, she didn't force Harry to marry her, but he overheard her telling Padma that she was in love with him." Hermione's voice had a tinge of bitterness in it and she ran her hands through her hair again.

"And h-he just m-married her l-like that?"

"Ron and I tried to stop him, Ginny. We tried to make him think rationally. But in debt of gratitude… it was as if Harry's mind was just thinking along one track. He just wanted to repay Parvati for what she had done for him. And of course, you know how stubborn Harry can be."

"B-But, how do you know that Parvati didn't stage a conversation with Padma, t-taking advantage of the fact that Harry could listen?"

"She's not like that, Ginny. I know she was rather vain when we were kids together, but she's changed, she's matured. She would never do such a thing. Harry also seems to have fallen in love with Parvati, for what it's worth, and they're happy now."

"So…" Ginny took a deep breath. "So, I've lost Harry forever."

Hermione sighed. "I'm sorry… I'm really sorry. But you'll have to move on. It isn't late even now."

"If I hadn't gone away to Australia, the situation wouldn't have been like this," said Ginny, getting up and dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. "It's because I left this place… I shouldn't have left."

"Don't blame yourself for chasing a dream, Ginny," said Hermione softly. "You have every right to be selfish about your dreams, and well… this has happened now…"

Ginny nodded and sniffed. "You're right. I guess, I must just forget all this and move on in life." She wiped her eyes again. "You're right… I'm never crying over Harry again… guess it was never meant to be. After all the Dean and Michael rubbish and everything… well, it's not Harry, I guess."

Hermione hugged her for a long time, and Ginny knew that she felt horrible about this too. After a while, Hermione broke apart and gave Ginny a wan smile. "Do you want to see your Hugo and Rose? You were so excited about them when you wrote to me."

"Of course!" said Ginny, the thought of her nephew and niece temporarily erasing some of the sadness. "Where are they?"

"I left them downstairs with your mum. Come on." Hermione and Ginny came out of the room and went down the stairs.

"Hey, isn't Ron home?" Ginny asked suddenly.

"No," replied Hermione. "He commutes by car. He will take another fifteen minutes to reach home. I'll go back in about five minutes and keep his clothes ready for him."

"Clothes?"

"Parvati's throwing a surprise birthday day party for Harry today. She's invited us. I think you're invited too. Are you coming?"

"No…" said Ginny, but then, she changed her mind. "Actually, I think I want to come. I should meet Parvati."

"Even otherwise, you should come," said Hermione. "Parvati's parties are really fun. She always plans a different theme. Last year, it was British tradition. We all dressed in ancient clothes, and she had cooked very well. Today, it's an Indian theme."

The duo reached the living room, where Mrs. Weasley was entertaining Hermione and Ron's children: Rose and Hugo. Hugo, who was three years old, had curly red hair and his father's blue eyes. Rose on the other hand, was about a year old and had brown hair and blue eyes just like Hugo and Ron.

"Hi, Mum!" said Ginny, seating herself next to her mother on an armchair.

"Hello, dear," said her mother, putting Rose on the cushion. Hermione lifted Rose and gave her hand to Hugo.

"I must be off, Molly," said Hermione. "Ron will be home in some time and I have to get our clothes ready."

"Okay then, I'll see you at the party, dear," said Mrs Weasley, beaming. Hermione waved goodbye and went to the kitchen to take a Portkey home, because she couldn't Disapparate with Rose and Hugo. "Are you coming to Harry's birthday party, dear?" Mrs Weasley asked, turning to Ginny.

Ginny nodded and smiled.

"Then I'd best get going if you are coming. I'll get something for you to wear."

She walked away, leaving Ginny to stare at the fireplace and look at the roaring flames. Maybe she wasn't destined to belong to Harry, she decided. Maybe that was her fate… maybe she would meet someone else… maybe…


	3. A Very Special Birthday

******The ships in this story are Harry/Ginny AND Ron/Hermione. I would appreciate it if you remain patient about the H/G part, and not try to suggest that I lured you here under false pretenses. I don't ship Harry with anyone other than Ginny and in my headcanon, Parvati never survived the war, and Padma had an arranged marriage with a guy called Vineet, and an extramarital affair with Penelope Clearwater. Now that we've established that, please, please don't make me spoil this fic any more than I already have (honestly, the readers on MNFF took a hint from just a mention of the ships, and I don't see how that's not getting through here). Also, if you don't ship Ronmione, please don't read the story. Thank you.**

**Author's Notes:**

Cheers, Pauie! You're great!

My dearest readers, please let me know your musings about this story. Reviews really get me going!

* * *

**Chapter 2: A Very Special Birthday**

"This- ruddy-thing—"

Ron fumbled with the strings of the pyjamas of his sherwani. It was the same sherwani he had worn for Harry's wedding and now that Parvati had planned an Indian dress code for Harry's birthday party, Ron was wearing it again. Parvati always did something different, though.

He finally managed to tie up the trouser things and made his way to his room, only to find the door was still locked. Normally, he and Hermione didn't mid changing in front of each other, but this time she had insisted that he change in the guest room. But what on earth was taking her so long?

"Hermione, how long is it going to take you?" Ron bellowed, as he walked to the living room. There was no answer. _Women,_Ron thought. He waited for around twenty more minutes and was relieved when he heard the door of their bedroom open.

"About time," Ron said, getting up. "I thought you had fainted in there. That took—"

Ron stopped speaking abruptly, as a pair of arms suddenly hugged him. "I'm here, Ron, now stop scolding me and let's get the kids ready."

"Hermione, I'm not scolding you, and let go of me, so I can have a look at you."

Hermione immediately freed Ron and stepped backwards. She looked stunning in her rust- coloured sari. Ron's jaw dropped. "You… you look nice," he mumbled, touching her cheek.

"Thanks," she replied, beaming at him. "Now just get Hugo into these—" Hermione thrust a few clothes into Ron's hands, "- while I dress Rose. Do it quickly, because— whoops!" Hermione stumbled over the hem of her sari, but Ron caught her just on time.

"Careful, Hermione, I can't have you break your bones."

"I'm not used to this, Ron," Hermione said, straightening the pleats of the sari. She managed to regain the balance and lifted the ends off the floor, watching for anything that was trailing, while Ron looked at her amusedly.

"Done?" he asked her, when she seemed to have established that her centre of gravity was stable enough.

She looked at him, smiling and coming closer. "Oh, Ron, can I ever be done with you?"

Did she have to choose this moment to be romantic? "Now, Hermione," Ron said, stepping back. "Why don't we get the kids dressed?"

"What's the matter, Ron, why are you backing away?" Hermione took another step towards him, but he stepped back promptly.

He didn't know why he was stepping away from her, and couldn't believe that he would ever say what he said after that. "I- I love you, Hermione, but this isn't the right time."

"Harry is right," said Hermione in reply to this. "I _am_ rubbing off on you!" Ron found Hermione yet another step closer to himself and took a further step backwards, feeling his back hit the wall as Hermione spoke again.

"And since you said what I normally say," she said, "I think I should say what you normally say— that's not what I think."

They were very close now. Ron could count Hermione's eyelashes, as her hands held the back of his neck. He just stood against the wall limply, feeling her warm breath on his face, and her lips on his. He just realised how much he loved Hermione and lifted his hand to stroke her. He ran his fingers along her hairline, down her cheeks and around her ears, relishing every single second. Her soft fingers lightly tickled the nape of his neck and ran up his hair. At last, they parted. Hermione smiled at him again. "I love you, Ron." Still smiling, she turned away and headed towards the children's room, but Ron beat her to it and pinned her against the wall just outside the room.

"Not so fast!" He bent forward and pulled her into another deep kiss, which she returned passionately. When they broke apart, both of them were smiling and they headed towards the brightly painted room, to see both their children playing and laughing gleefully. There was silence for some time.

"Hey, Hermione," Ron said suddenly, as he dressed Hugo. "Ginny started work today. We are on a new case and Harry, Ginny, Romilda Vane, Anthony and another woman are working with me. We all are going to stay in the guest house from tomorrow, until we solve the case. Walanger said that wives and children are allowed, so you can come along with Rose and Hugo."

"Hmm, I met Ginny today," Hermione said, changing Rose's nappy. "We did not talk about the case, of course… but can I still work?"

"Yeah," Ron said. Hermione was a Healer in St. Mungo's but she worked from home, because her job was mostly pharmaceutical in nature. There was silence as Ron finished getting Rose ready. "How did Ginny react to the delightful news about Harry?"

Hermione sighed. "Not well… sometimes, I think we should have told her, you know."

"Yeah… I didn't really expect her to celebrate with glee when she heard. But you know, Hermione, when Harry saw Ginny today, he was all weird. You don't reckon he—?"

"Still loves Ginny? I am pretty sure he does," Hermione sighed. "I know it. I've been Harry's friend for the last fifteen years. He only married Parvati because she loves him and he could not think of any other way to pay her back for what she has done for him. So far, Harry has also managed to convince himself that his infatuation for Ginny was nothing but a symptom of adolescence. But I know that some place inside him, some bit of his heart, still has Ginny in it. Ginny was more than Harry's schoolboy crush."

"So don't you think it's really unfair on the part of Harry to marry someone just because it was his duty, then?"

"I won't exactly call Harry's decision his duty, Ron; I think it's more of an understanding. He has married Parvati only because he wants her to be happy. I don't think he wanted to break her heart by accepting the fact that he still has feelings for Ginny. And as for all this being unfair— as long as Harry does not start dating with Ginny again and manages to stick to Parvati, he's really not being unfair."

"He'd better keep his hands off my sister too."

Hermione frowned at him. "He's perfectly capable of controlling his feelings, Ron! I know for a fact that as much as he can help it, Harry will remain with Parvati."

"That's one noble fellow, I guess." Ron took a fully dressed Hugo in his arms. Hermione, who had also dressed up Rose, gave Ron a smile.

"He has 'moral fibre' in him," Hermione said, chuckling a little bit.

"Hang on- I've heard that before—"

"Bagman had said that after the Second Task in the Triwizard Tournament."

"Yeah! How do you even remember stuff like this?" Ron asked his wife, awed and amused at her memory. "Anyway, we should leave," he said. "C'mon."

Ron started walking out of the room with Hugo, Hermione following him along with Rose and levitating their suitcases behind them. The couple had been invited to stay overnight by Parvati and they were going straight to the guest house from Harry and Padma's place. They walked to the car and Ron unlocked it. He was just about to open the door of the driver's seat, when Hermione spoke up.

"Ron, can't we just Apparate or take a Portkey?"

"Blimey, I thought you'd know better, Hermione. Harry lives in the middle a Muggle settlement. What if someone sees us?"

"Oh… okay, then, let's get on with it," said Hermione as Ron opened the door of the car and placed Hugo in his car seat. Hermione did the same to Rose and then joined Ron in the front of the car and they drove off.

Parvati smiled at her reflection in her baby blue sari before going over to the living room. Harry was already waiting there, dressed in his green sherwani. He looked really handsome and his clothes brought out the colour of his eyes.

"Oh, you look dashing, Harry," she said, winking at him and grinning

"Thanks," he muttered sheepishly. "You look lovely too."

"Thank you," Parvati said, sitting next to him. There was a rather awkward silence.

"Um… Parvati?"

"Yes?"

"Why are we sitting here, wearing Indian clothes?"

Parvati's smile widened. "Oh, all right. I don't think it remains a surprise anymore, since I've asked you to wear those clothes. This is the dress code for your birthday party, Harry. The guests will be coming any moment now. Happy birthday."

Parvati leaned forward, kissed Harry on his cheek and hugged him. "I love you." Harry felt her arms tighten around him and she gave him another kiss on his cheek.

Harry returned the hug. "Why do you think I married you— I love you too."

Parvati inhaled sharply. "I hope I didn't hurt your feelings."

"Hey, it's all right," he said. "I didn't feel bad; there was too much to do at work to leave any room wonder why people did not wish me for my birthday. I was not hurt, don't worry. In fact, hey, I'm thrilled that there's going to be a party!"

He leaned forward and kissed her. Straightening up, he smiled, leaned over again and was about to kiss her another time, when the doorbell rang.

Parvati got up and opened the door. "Hi! Come in."

Harry got up from the couch, to see Ron and Hermione enter the house, dressed in the clothes they had worn for his wedding. Their children were with them too.

"Happy birthday, Harry!" Hermione said, coming over to him and giving him a hug.

"Yeah, happy birthday, mate," Ron echoed, clapping Harry on the shoulder. The couple sat on the couch next to Harry and Parvati.

Hermione smiled. "Where's Naina?"

"She's in her room. I fed her early because she hasn't slept all afternoon, and could fall asleep anytime now. It might take us some time to have dinner and everything, so I did not want her to go off to sleep in an empty stomach."

"Shall we let the kids have fun together, then?"

"Oh, no problem; come, I'll take you to Naina's room."

Parvati got up and Hermione followed suit, picking up Rose. She gave her hand to Hugo. "Come, Hugo!"

Hugo gave a gleeful cry and caught Hermione's hand, dislodging himself from Ron's grip. He toddled behind Parvati along with Hermione, giggling and talking all the way. It took about a minute for the women to leave the kids in Naina's room, after which they re-joined the men.

"So, who else is coming?" Ron asked.

"Padma and Anthony, your parents, brothers, and Ginny."

Just then, the doorbell rang another time. Parvati got up once again and came back, Padma and Anthony following her.

"Happy birthday, Harry!" Padma said, coming over and hugging Harry. Anthony also wished Harry and they were seated, once again, only to hear the doorbell ring a third time. This time, it was all the other Weasleys.

Parvati went over to Mrs Weasley, who hugged her and smiled at her for a minute. "You look lovely, dear. How is Naina?"

"Oh, she's fine, Molly. She's in her room with Rose and Hugo."

"Hey, Parvati!"

Parvati turned to see Ginny waving at her. She walked towards the redhead, who was dressed in a beautiful red sari that matched her hair. "How are you doing?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, we're fine," Parvati replied. "I'm really sorry about not inviting you for our marriage; we did not want to get you here in the middle of your exams."

"It's okay," Ginny said. "Only, I was slightly shocked when Harry told me that he was married." They chatted on for a while, and Parvati announced dinner, which included some delicious Indian food that she had cooked. Everyone was rubbing his or her belly at the end of it, and they were full to the brim with every scrumptious bite.

After a lovely, casual evening, all the guests made to leave. "Take care, dears," Mrs Weasley said, waving goodbye to the Potters. "Make sure you come home after this case."

Harry smiled and waved, as the Weasleys looked around and Disapparated, one after the other.

"Are you coming to the guest house tomorrow?" Parvati asked Padma, as she, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Anthony and Padma had seated themselves in the living-room. Anthony and Padma were also staying overnight.

"Of course," Padma replied. "It will be so exciting to watch these people at work."

"The case sounds fun, though," Harry mumbled, Summoning six bottles of Butterbeer with a wave of his wand. "Butterbeer?"

"No, I'm full, thanks," Hermione said, putting her bottle aside. Parvati and Padma refused too.

"So, how did you work out the way to wear that sari?" Parvati asked Hermione.

"Oh, don't ask. It took me half-an-hour to get it draped properly!"

"Yeah, it's not an easy task, is it?"

"Not at all, and then, I also stumbled over the hem once."

Parvati looked at her, astonished. "I thought you were used to robes."

"I am," Hermione said. "But the round-and round draping and everything just multiplied the problems."

They talked on about various things like work and matters at home. Padma was an Unspeakable at the Department of Mysteries and she told them that the work was exciting, though she could not tell them about anything that happened there.

"I can understand," said Parvati, eyeing Harry, who had just finished his bottle of Butterbeer. "It would be really difficult, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah," Padma replied. "I don't know what will happen if I voice out the secrets there and at the same time, I can't remember what's there, every time I think about it."

"It's a really powerful enchantment," Parvati said, smiling as she watched Harry reaching for a bottle of Firewhiskey surreptitiously; from the corner of her eye. "And Harry, be careful about how much of that you drink, please."

Padma giggled, while Ron, Hermione and Anthony looked puzzled. Harry, on the other hand, kept the bottle down.

"What was that?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, don't you know about that time he got drunk?" Parvati asked, trying not to laugh. "It was a mess. He was a mess, and I had to put him right. It wasn't fun."

"It won't happen again, Parvati!" Harry said indignantly.

"Okay," Parvati said, still grinning at him. "I think I should just check on Naina, though." She walked to the kids' room with Hermione; while Ginny and Padma followed them, saying that they wanted to see the kids too.

The four women entered Naina's room; all the kids had fallen asleep on the floor itself. Parvati conjured two cribs and placed Naina in her own cot, while Hermione placed Rose and Hugo in their cots.

"She's so cute," Ginny whispered, looking at Naina's chubby face. "How old is Naina, Parvati?"

"About fourteen months," Parvati answered.

Ginny smiled dazedly at Naina. "She is very pretty. She has gone a lot on you, actually. Her features are pretty sharp, like Indians."

"Yeah," said Parvati. "A lot of people say that. But I'm glad that she got Harry's eyes."

After Ginny and Padma admired the children for some more time, the four women returned to the living room.. "I think I'll turn in," Padma declared, going upstairs to her room.

"Yeah, I think I'll go to sleep too," agreed Parvati. She went to their room and shut the door behind her, to change into her night things. Ginny and Hermione went inside to sleep, too. After about ten minutes, Parvati's door opened again and the lamp was put out.

Harry seized this opportunity to grab another bottle of Firewhiskey and so did the other men. Just then, Parvati bellowed from inside. "All three of you— _if you get drunk and puke on my floor—_"

"Gosh, how does your wife come to know?" Ron asked Harry, Vanishing all the bottles. "Anyway, I guess there's no point sitting here. Let's go to sleep."

Harry went to his room, opened his wardrobe and drew out his night things. He changed his clothes and slumped onto bed beside Parvati after shutting the bedroom door and adjusting the Baby Monitoring Charm for Naina.

There was silence for a while. Harry stared at the ceiling, pondering over everything that had happened that day. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Harry turned sideways to look at his wife. She was awake, too, and was looking at Harry with a smile. Harry did not say anything, and just stroked her cheek lightly before turning over and shutting his eyes.

The sound of soft sobs suddenly filled the room and Harry was about to tell Parvati that Naina was probably having a bad dream, when with a small pang, he realised that Parvati was the one crying. He wrapped his arm around her waist. "Hey, what is it?" He looked at her eyes, and saw tears trickling down her cheeks slowly.

"Y-You still have feelings f-for Ginny, d-don't you?"

"Where did that even come from?"

"Don't try to lie to me, H-Harry, I know why y-you married me!"

Harry let out a sigh and wiped Parvati's eyes. "I loved you, that's why," he said firmly.

Parvati spoke again. "You know, Harry, gratitude is nothing, compared to love. You could have done anything to show me your gratefulness; I never asked you to marry me."

Harry looked at Parvati for a long time. He remembered Ron and Hermione telling him the same thing, when he had gone and proposed to Parvati. But he still had his justification for marrying her. "Look, I had a crush on Ginny, about eleven years ago, that's all. Now, I love only you, Parvati. You're my present. I love you, all right? Now come here."

Harry hugged Parvati tightly and kissed her on the tip of her nose. They stayed in that position for a long time and Harry shut his eyes, listening to her quiet, serene breaths, as both of them finally fell asleep.

* * *

**End Notes:**

Please know that I AM working very hard on this story- on the characterisation, as well as plot and writing. I'm having to modify quite a chunk of each chapter as I go, mostly because I'm not comfortable with my old writing style. However, this seems to get no reviews, and I'd really, really like to know if I'm fine, and if this story should stay.

Please, please, please review! It will make me very happy, and I'll know that I'm not wasting my time on this. Pretty please? :)


	4. Presumptions and Awkward Silences

******The ships in this story are Harry/Ginny AND Ron/Hermione. I would appreciate it if you remain patient about the H/G part, and not try to suggest that I lured you here under false pretenses. And if you don't ship Ronmione, please don't read the story. Thank you.**

**Moderated anonymous review responses:**

_******BOOOOOO: **Thank you! I'm really glad you enjoyed the story, and the update will be soon-ish, depending on the amount I have to edit on chapter 4, and the time I have in hand. Thank you so very much! :)_

_**Anonymous Guest: **_(review- I did read this story on mugglenet and while it's not badly written,  
categorizing it as an h/g is actually cheating your readers. The h/g element  
in that story was a huge letdown...I am wondering if you plan on changing  
anything here?)

**My response:** _Well, I'm glad you don't think it's badly written, though I disagree that I'm cheating anyone here. I haven't hidden anything. I have marked the genres as romance/mystery, and also mentioned it in the summary. I have also said that the SHIPS are H/G and R/Hr, not that the whole story is just about these people. I don't think I can go about mentioning every detail around here, because then there really will be no point in reading the story. The H/G element is as much as it should be, I think. I've got enough in the beginning- and you have read the story, so you're aware of how it ends, right? Please think for a minute here: do you think the H/G part would happen any other way? Do you think it's in either of their characters to forget whatever has happened, and just snog, because I want them to, or the readers want them to? You have no idea how many times I've almost caved while writing the story, and got Harry to do something he wouldn't, but that's not him. If I were to cut out the H/G part plainly and make it into another fic, it would be a lot. It's just that this fic has a lot of other things going on too, so you probably feel it's sparse. But please think about what I've said; how do you think JKR would write this plot (at least an infinite times better than me, I know), but if she wrote this story, and she wanted H/G, what would she do? As for the modifications; there are vague plans to slightly change some of the relationship dynamics, yes, but I'm not guaranteeing anything. The revamping is more for the plot and characterisation, and in some places, my general writing style. I'm cutting out unnecessary chunks, and adding new things and everything. If you're still interested, I'll be flattered and if you're not, I'm still flattered that you read this on MNFF, when this is in fact, among my worst work there. Thank you! :)_

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Pauie rocks! She's just AWESOME, AWESOME AND AWESOME. *Huggles Pauie* you're way too good, Pauie! Thank you , thank you, thank you SO much!

I would also like to thank two excellent people: Andrea and Kristy, who helped me with the behaviour and iciness of Ron and Hermione. :)

Do R/R (only if you like it, please- there's going to be no use for bashing me- your review will either be promptly moderated and deleted, or if you're a member... poor you, because I'm a mean person). On the other hand, **I love everyone who likes this story, and am working hard for all of you. Hang in there, this won't take as long as the version on MNFF, haha. :)**

And as I have been reiterating time and again, I'd like to remind you that a third pairing is involved- Daisy/Chris. They're my OCs, and they are integral to the mystery part, so they will be involved, and they happen to have a romantic sub-plot which, in some ways, does twist in with the mystery part, though I'd say their story is quite small... and incomplete.

Speaking of updates- the next one won't probably won't come until I finish my exams. Three practical exams remain, and I'm currently struggling over the names of various kinds of forceps- so... I finish my exams on the 17th and if I get time when I go home, quick updates will happen.

Also, there was one anonymous reviewer who told me politely that they didn't like the story, and wished me luck- I'd like to thank you for the honesty, and for putting it forward without bashing me. I understand that people may not like this fic, and thank you for your wishes. My other stories after this did actually do well. :)

Anyhoo, I edited this chapter like crazy, because I hated the previous version. Hahaha. I've managed to mend and fix Parvati's character a little- I hated the way I'd written her in the original. Anyone who's read this on MNFF will realise that the chapter title is different from the original too.

And I probably should stop rambling, but there was something else I wanted to add- I realise that a lot of people on this site are plain mean if they don't like a fic. While this really doesn't affect me, as I'm far from an aspiring author (just bothered about being a doctor, really, probably won't even look at fanfiction in a few years), this doesn't really put me down. However, you never know- there might be an aspiring author you might be reviewing for- someone who might be learning, taking baby steps, and you might disappoint them, or cause them to lose confidence in themselves if you bash them without thinking twice. Please remember that every author works hard on his/her writing, FF, OF, whatever, and you have no right to put them down like that. If you don't like a fic, DON'T REVIEW. And it's for any fic that you read, not just this one.

That said, I'll continue with my story. :)

* * *

**Chapter 3: Presumptions and Awkward Silences**

"Good morning!"

Harry opened his eyes to see Parvati sitting at the edge of their bed with a tea tray, her wet hair encompassed in a towel turban. Harry grinned at her and stretched. "How did you sleep?"

"Good," she said, smiling fondly. "And it's six o' clock." She set the tea on the bedside table. Have the tea and start getting ready. We have to leave, remember?"

"Oh yeah," said Harry, stifling a yawn with the back of his palm and sitting up on the bed. Parvati handed a cup of tea to him before pouring some for herself. Harry sipped and as the warm liquid trickled down his throat, it gave him a feeling of refreshment. He smiled at Parvati, still feeling slightly guilty about the previous night. She smiled back brightly, and got up to get a look at Naina.

"She slept like a real baby," Parvati said, "Not one sound on the baby monitor. I'll just change her nappy, though." She left the room to check on their daughter. Harry drained his teacup quickly, put his teacup aside and walked to his wardrobe to get out a towel and some clothes. Parvati came in with a very sleepy Naina just as he was about to enter the bathroom, and he kissed his daughter's cheek before going in to shower.

By the time he came out again, Parvati had taken Naina and had gone somewhere else. He shaved, combed, and made his way to the living room, to see that almost everybody else was ready to leave. Parvati and Padma were sitting in a corner, chatting, while Ron and Anthony had their tea. Hermione seemed to be busy with her children.

The group left at around six-thirty, distributed in Anthony's, Harry's and Ron's cars. When they reached the guest house at Bath, Romilda and Irene were already there, waiting for them. Harry, Ron and Anthony introduced their wives (and children, in Harry's and Ron's cases) to their colleagues and the first fifteen minutes was full of warm but unsure 'hellos', and everything that was, and could be awkward about introductions.

The Aurors took the keys from the guard and unlocked the house, choosing their rooms and putting their luggage in their places. Rose, Hugo and Naina were left to sleep in their parents' rooms, as there seemed to be no separate nursery for them. Parvati, Padma and Hermione offered to make breakfast and in no time, all the adults were sitting at the enormous dining table, which was laden with toast, bacon, eggs, pumpkin juice and milk.

There was painfully awkward silence as everyone dug into the sumptuous breakfast. Each Auror seemed to have something running in his or her mind, and they weren't sure of how to go about discussing the case. Some of them barely knew other from before, and it was not easy to just start off a conversation like that. Finally, Romilda decided to be brave enough.

"I think we should go to the victims' houses today," she said, cutting through the awkwardness. Everyone looked at her, and Harry felt momentarily relieved that she had initiated the discussion. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed that Ginny was inadvertently staring at a point on the wall.

"Yeah," Anthony agreed with Romilda, as he reached for the butter dish. "I think these things are all mentioned in the file, though. We might have to start gathering suspects."

"Well, considering they were all classmates, I don't think the list would be difficult to make."

"The file says that they all have alibis," said Anthony, running a hand through his hair. "But we should still investigate, of course."

"Of course, of course," Romilda asked him. "But there isn't—" she paused turning to Irene, "why aren't you eating, Irene?"

Harry looked at Irene. She was sitting with her arms crossed and not touching a thing. "I don't like home-made food," she said.

"Well you can—" began Parvati, but Irene interrupted her.

"I told you I don't like home-made food; please mind your own business."

Parvati raised an eyebrow, at the unnecessarily rude comment, but said nothing. She returned to her eggs.

"Maybe we can order some food from a restaurant," Romilda suggested.

"I don't want to eat."

"Why are you in such a bad mood?"

"Please, Romilda, I'm not hungry."

"Is take-out all you ever eat now?"

"No."

Romilda raised an eyebrow. "Then I don't see what the problem is now. I know you like bacon and eggs. I remember when we were at Hogwarts."

"Whatever. I… need to go to my room."

"Well, you can—" began Parvati, but Irene stood up and left. Everyone looked at one-another, bewildered. Harry could feel annoyance creep up into him at the way that Irene had spoken to Parvati. The latter, however, seemed nonchalant.

Breakfast continued with scanty discussions of the victims, and Naina woke up, crying, in the middle of it. Parvati gobbled down the rest of her food immediately and left to take care of the child and after another five minutes of the gruelling tension and awkwardness at the table, breakfast was finally over. Once he was done with breakfast, Harry went to his room, to see Parvati entertaining Naina.

"Hey," he greeted, seating himself next to her, and kissing Naina's cheek for the second time that day.

"Hi, Harry," Padma sounded weary.

He frowned at her. "What's wrong?"

"You know very well."

There was silence. Naina grabbed the opportunity to babble on about something. "Kitty!" she said merrily— 'kitty' being the only recognisable word amongst everything else.

Harry chuckled at his daughter, but Parvati stood up and started walking out of the room. Harry caught her hand.

"Wait."

"Leave me alone, Harry. I'm in a bad mood, okay?"

"Hey, you know, there's no point being mad at me. Whatever happened at the breakfast table was not my fault."

Parvati took a deep breath. "You know, Harry… you could have told her something…"

"Like what?" he asked her. "It was a small thing, Parvati! Drop it!"

"No, I didn't like that she behaved with me in that manner for no reason at all," said Parvati. "We have to live in the same house for Merlin knows how long and she has to know, that she can't just talk like that!"

"But what was my fault in this?" Harry asked her. "Are you angry at me because I didn't say anything? Is that it? I just thought you'd say something if you felt that bad, you know."

She held Naina closer and bit her lip. "I'm going to the supermarket."

Harry sighed. "Fine, do whatever you want. I'm leaving in another hour. We're going to a victim's house. Just don't crush Naina in your rage."

"I know how to control my temper, thanks."

Harry watched her leave, half-confused and half-annoyed. Why was she reacting like this? It was a small thing, after all. A few minutes passed and he sat there, pondering at Parvati's sudden anger at him. Just then, a voice called out to him.

"Harry?"

Harry looked up to see Hermione standing at the doorway. "Hey, Hermione, come in."

Hermione obeyed and came over, sitting next to him as she did so. "I thought I saw Parvati in a bad mood. What happened?"

"We had a row, what else?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "What for? Everything seemed okay…"

"I dunno; she was angry about breakfast. Well, it wasn't exactly a row, but she's annoyed with me."

"That Stance had no business talking like that, though."

"Well… yeah," said Harry, "But I didn't think it was that big an issue. Stance is probably just having a bad day."

She nodded. "I guess." There was silence, as she played with the bedspread, tracing her finger along the print. She bit her lip and looked up at Harry hesitantly. "I… came here to ask you something."

"Hmm?" he asked, leaning backwards and supporting himself with his palms. "What about?"

"Ron." She bit her lip again and pushed a strand of her bushy hair behind her ear. "Harry… er— has he said anything to you lately?"

"He's said a lot of things to me," Harry shrugged. "It depends on what you're specifically wondering about, really."

"About… me?" she asked in a small voice.

"Um… yeah," Harry said. "He talks about you a lot. You're his wife, remember?"

"No…" she sighed and looked away, and then at Harry, her eyes filling with tears. "Is he— is he tired of me, Harry?"

Harry felt his stomach drop as more tears started to stream down her face. "Hey, Hermione…" he awkwardly threw his arms around his best friend. "I'm-I'm sure it's nothing like t-that," he fumbled. Where was Ginny now? He was sure she could do it much better than he could. What if he said something which just made Hermione cry more, or worst still, offered her rubbish advice about something?

Hermione pulled away from him, wiping her eyes, and smiling a little. "Thank you, Harry."

"I d-didn't do anything…" Harry said awkwardly. "And… I'm sure Ron isn't tired of you," he said sheepishly. "I'd know if he were, right?"

She nodded bravely. "Right."

"Also, it's been a busy couple of weeks at work," Harry added. "So… it might just be that."

She was going to say something when Harry mentioned that. She opened her mouth a tad, but then shut it, nodding to herself. "Yes, maybe… he's busy and tired." She sighed and looked at Harry, ruffling his hair. "And you're okay, right?"

"Of course, I am," said Harry. "It was just a row, she'll come around."

She chuckled and stood up. "I'll get going then. Rose and Hugo will be awake soon." After giving him a small pat on his shoulder, she left.

When Hermione reached her and Ron's room, Ron was sitting on the bed, browsing through a file. He heard her enter and looked up at her. "Where have you been?"

"In Harry's room," she said. "I thought I saw Parvati walk off angrily."

"Really?" he asked, bewildered? "How come?"

"They had a row," Hermione replied. "Harry said Parvati was angry."

"Whoa," said Ron. "Stance seems to have touched a nerve."

"She's overreacting, Ron, Irene wasn't that rude with her. Anyway— they're bound to sort it out."

"Yeah, I know," Ron said. "But we'll definitely try to solve this whole case quickly, so that we can all live normally. This staying in the same house thing is making it weird. And—" he looked at Hermione, "We need our alone time too, don't we?"

"We have alone time here too, Ron," Hermione replied to him, smiling, as she leaned forward, matching her lips over Ron's.

However, he pushed her away lightly. "Not now, Hermione — the kids are in the room."

"They're sleeping, Ron. Come on, just once?" she asked, teasingly.

"Sorry, but I've got work — you know I'll be leaving in an hour."

Hermione nodded sadly. Harry and Parvati had just rowed and would be okay Parvati would cool off. But Hermione's situation was taking a different turn. No matter what Harry said, Ron did seem to be losing his affection for her. He kept avoiding her— a lot. She wasn't sure what it was, or what was wrong between them. Was it something she had done? Worse yet, was it something that he had done…?

Heaving a sad sigh, Hermione went out and sat on the porch swing. Rocking back and forth gently, she remembered all the good days with Ron since the time they'd started courting. Their kiss at the Room of Requirement… him proposing to her in front of her parents, those afternoons on dates, her pregnancies Those days had been so much better, so much brighter. What had gone amiss? Why did he seem tired of her?

"Hey, Hermione!"

Hermione looked up, to see Parvati walking towards her, wheeling Naina in a pram and clutching several bags of grocery. She came forward and sat on the swing beside the other woman.

"Hello," replied Hermione, smiling at Parvati. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, there's a lovely Muggle supermarket nearby. I wanted to buy some things for the house. Padma and I made a list and everything. I thought it was best to complete the shopping before I forgot."

"Hmm," Hermione trailed off. "Cooled off on Harry, then?"

Parvati looked at Hermione, bewildered. "Gosh, I was not angry with Harry! Why?"

"You definitely took off some amount of your temper on him."

"Oh… I didn't mean to…" She looked guilty. "Oh… thanks for telling me, I'll go talk to him," she sighed and walked into the house transferring all the shopping bags into the kitchen magically and pushing Naina's pram ahead of her. Hermione leaned back on the swing chair, watching Parvati walk away. That was it— their row would be sorted in a minute. Her and Ron… well, only Merlin could tell what was going wrong between them. She just hoped it would be back to normal soon.

Parvati entered the house and wheeled Naina into the children's room, to let her play with her stuffed animals. Then walking back to her own room, she went inside, to see Harry sleeping on the bed. He was snoring quietly and his mouth was slightly open. She sat next to him, her light body making a small impression on the mattress of the bed. She patted his arm softly. "Harry?"

Harry's eyes fluttered open and he sat up at once. "Huh?" He said, looking around, picking up his glasses and fumbling with them glasses before putting them on. "Is it time already?"

"No," replied Parvati. She bit her lip. "You know I didn't mean to be rude, right? I don't know what set me off like that…"

Harry stared at her blankly for a minute. "What?"

"I-I was rude, wasn't I?"

"Rude?" Harry looked confused. "Oh yeah, rude, rude… nah, don't worry about that, Parvati, you're human and you just acted like one some time ago. And— let it be…" He swallowed his comment about Irene, got up, yawned and stretched. Then reaching for a file on his desk, he opened it up and started reading through the newsprints he had collected about the London serial killings. Suddenly, he looked up.

"Parvati, do you know how to contact me through your wand?"

"Yes," replied Parvati. "Why?"

Harry shrugged. "You know… in case this thing gets personal, I want you to be in contact at all times."

Parvati raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that it could get personal?"

"Gut feeling," he said. "Of course, it's most likely wrong. But, you know how such rubbish always gets personal with me."

"Harry," Parvati kept her hand on his and squeezed it lightly. "Nothing of that sort is going to happen this time. Don't worry."

Harry nodded and inhaled deeply. He returned to his file, while Parvati took out notes of her own, and prepared for her joint-research with Hermione. The two women were on what they considered a break from regular Healing; they were working on a potion that prevented wrinkles on people's skin whatever their age without having to stand beneath the full moon once a month, which was the downside of the old potion available on the market.

Suddenly, the phone on Harry's desk, which they'd both somehow presumed was just an accessory, started to ring. Harry looked up from his file, raising his eyebrows. "Was anyone supposed to _call_ us?"

"I don't know," said Parvati. "I'll get it, wait. She got off the bed and went over to the phone, picking up the receiver. "Hello?"

There was no reply.

"Who's it?" Harry asked from behind her.

Parvati covered the receiver, and spoke to Harry. "I don't know… wait." She put it to her ear again. "Hello? Who is this?"

There was no reply. Instead, there was a 'click', and the tone indicated that the call was disconnected.

* * *

**End notes:**

**If you liked the story, please go directly to the review box. The rest of this speech is for the guest reviewers (and haters).**

All the haters- I don't know if you expected Harry to snog Ginny in the first sentence or whatever, but since he's with Parvati, and married to her, I will make their marriage as realistic as possible. That doesn't make it Harry/Parvati. Also, I'd appreciate it if you please stop jumping to conclusions about the H/G part, and let me write that story. If you don't like grey shades in the characters, too bad, because we all have some of those.

If you expected a plain boy-meets-girl romance, I'd like you to find someone else who writes that, because at least this story of mine is not like that. This story is not exclusively romance- the main plot is a mystery, and it's going to be more like a crime/mystery-cum-romance starting here. And none of your hatred is really going to affect me. I already have 228 very positive reviews and 96000+ reads on this at MNFF. Good luck with whatever prompts you to waste time on people who don't, in our Queen Jo's own words, " give a stinking gust of chihuahua flatulence."

Now for individual responses:

Cris: I'm not sure what you meant in those three reviews, but I got the gist, so I'd like to tell you; really, you don't need to deign to second chances. You probably skimmed through the old version on MNFF and decided you knew the whole story. Well, you don't. What you predicted about Harry and Ginny couldn't be more wrong. I don't believe in the hurt/comfort thing, which is what you thought was going to happen. And it isn't just in the last chapter; there is plenty of H/G here, throughout the novel. And I deleted the second review because it was a spoiler, not because I had anything to hide. And the fic IS Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione, no matter what YOU say because you're not the author; I am.

Christina: Saint!Ginny is a far-fetched idea. Not happening. And yes, Harry is, and will profess his love for his wife, because she's his WIFE. I believe that's what most married couples do. If you expected Harry to tell Ginny that he loves her in the prologue, sorry to disappoint you. The entire point of the romantic sub-plot is the crisis: that Harry is married.

Ana: Yes. This is different. But it's not about Ginny crying in a corner and Harry moving on- you're saying that, based on two chapters and a prologue, all of which really are just introductory to the situations here. And I believe my characterisation of Harry works just fine. What he did isn't weak, and if you consider that weak, you sadly have no idea of what 'weakness' really is. However, he IS an idiot, because he's an idiot in the books too. Go on and look through the books- Harry is actually quite an idiot. If you wanted super!Harry, sorry, ain't happening. I don't write spork. I write characters as they should be.

Melissa, ACEL: You... Both of you are just jumping to conclusions on the 'other woman' thing. I plan to keep Ginny's dignity in place, thanks. She's not a soap vamp here, and this is not a soap opera.

Thank you. Please know that all further hate reviews will only be deleted at the moderation window. They won't even make it to the list for the rest of the world to see. If you want to waste your time again, you can continue, thanks. :)


	5. Rebecca Palmer

**A/N:** Thank you, Pauie, for being an awesome beta! :D

I've modified this chapter a lot. Basically, it's a start on the H/G and R/Hr dynamics, which are a little different in the original story. Hehe. I never really had much idea as a kid but I do now!

Reviews will be loved. I accept constructive criticism, but can (and will) be incredibly scary with haters, who hate for ridiculous reasons. Please understand that there are like 31 chapters more, so it's best not to assume anything. So... you flame me with rubbish reasons, I flame you right back. I don't like being mean, so don't force me to be that way.

I will respond to guest reviews at the end of this chapter. Any guests who review can check back for a response later. :)

* * *

**Chapter 4: Rebecca Palmer**

Parvati put down the phone receiver, bewildered at the silence on the other side.

Harry looked up from his file. "Who was it?"

"No-one," she shrugged. "Wrong number, I guess."

"Didn't they even try to confirm if the number was right?"

"No…" Parvati trailed off. "They must have heard my voice and realised it was the wrong number."

"Maybe," he agreed. "But it's weird. Anyway…" He turned over a page in his file. "They'll call us back if they have to talk."

"Yeah," said Parvati, returning to her own notes and deciding to push away the strange feeling that she'd got from the call.

* * *

Hermione got up from the swing and walked to her room. The kids were still sleeping and Ron was busy with his file. She sat beside her husband, who did not acknowledge her presence, and merely continued poring through his work.

"Ron?" she called out tentatively.

Ron still did not look up; he merely grunted.

"Ron…"

Another grunt. Why in the name of Merlin couldn't he look up and answer?!

She stood up and put her hands on her hips. "RON!"

His head snapped up. "What is it, Hermione?" he sighed exasperatedly. "Can't you even see that I'm busy?"

Hermione looked down, hurt at this. Ron noticed it and bit his lip. "Sorry. Didn't mean to be rude…"

She nodded, still looking down, and he stretched his hand out to her. "Come here."

She took his hand and he pulled her towards himself, putting his file aside and circling his arm around her waist. He pulled her all the way to himself and let her sit on his lap. He pushed away a strand of hair from her face and leaned forward, kissing her on the lips. She sighed and cupped his face, allowing him in. She could feel his thumb caressing her cheek and she smiled as they broke apart. "I just came to tell you that you'd better get ready and leave."

He grinned. "But a bit of bonus is welcome, don't you think?"

Blushing, she got off his lap and stood up, brushing hair off her face. "Get ready. I'll be in the living room."

"Okay," he said, picking up the file. "In a minute."

She nodded and left the room, smiling to herself. She reached the living room, to see Ginny holding a very giggly and restless Naina, while watching a Muggle cartoon on television. Hermione went and sat down next to the duo.

"Hi!" said Ginny, grinning at her, but looking a little uncomfortable at the same time.

"Hello," replied Hermione. "So, you're already friends with Naina, are you?"

"I don't know," said Ginny, looking a little more uncomfortable as the child squirmed in her grasp and stretched her little arms to Hermione, who promptly took Naina into her arms. Hermione understood from the look on Ginny's face as to what she was talking about.

"Naina is only a child," she said to Ginny. "It's really not her fault, Ginny. You can be mad at Harry and Parvati, but—"

"I'm not mad at anyone," replied Ginny. "Honestly."

"Are you sure?"

Ginny shrugged. "There's really no use for being mad, is there? I'll— I'll be fine," she sighed, and added, "I guess."

"You will," Hermione told her.

Ginny nodded and smiled. "I trust you." She looked at Naina. "I asked Parvati if I could borrow Naina…" she said, "I just wanted to see if I could come to terms with—" she bit her lip, "—all this. I thought that, maybe getting to know Naina would help me move on and get over the idea about being with Harry."

"And?"

"You know," Ginny sighed. "I need time. But it's a good start, isn't it?"

"It is," Hermione agreed with her. "And I know you'll do it, Ginny."

She looked down. "I wish I knew as well as you do. Anyway," she held her arms out for Naina. "I should take her back."

"Oh, sure," said Hermione, handing over the child.

Naina, who had been still all this time, started squirming in Ginny's arms again. The latter stood up, a half-awkward, half-unsure expression on her face and Hermione watched her sister-in-law sympathetically as she took the child up to Harry's room.

* * *

Ginny trotted up the stairs and reached Harry and Parvati's room. Naina was still fighting against Ginny's arms, restless to get back to someone whom she was familiar with. But Ginny had other thoughts in mind. Something about seeing Harry made her heart pound against her rib cage like crazy, and she wasn't sure how to curb this. If she and Harry were supposed to be working together for a while, she needed to keep these things at bay. Sighing Ginny raised a hand and knocked at the door.

"Come in."

Ginny pushed the door open and walked inside, to see Harry adjusting the sleeves of his shirt. Parvati, who was juicing something that resembled a tuber with a mortar and pestle, looked at Ginny and smiled.

"Oh, do you have to leave now?"

At that moment, Harry looked up too and smiled. "Yeah, give me a minute."

For some reason, Ginny's throat was dry. It had happened even the previous day and it was happening today, too. But she managed to get out an answer, which sounded really stupid, once she had said it. "Actually, I-I just left to come Naina. But yes, we're leaving shortly."

"Huh?" Harry's eyes were fixed on Ginny, now.

Ginny swore mentally and corrected her statement, avoiding Harry's eyes. "I came to leave Naina with you." She said it correctly this time. One good thing about her was that once she had gotten over the initial state of nervousness, she could continue normally.

"Oh, right, give her here," said Harry, holding out his hands to receive his daughter.

Ginny placed the girl in his arms, but as she did so, their fingers brushed; sending a swooping sensation down her stomach. She could feel her cheeks growing warm and a tingling sensation crept up them, just as it used to when she faced Harry as a teenager. She turned away, not wanting him to see her blush. "C- Come down to the hall, we have to leave soon." Not wanting to stop at that place for another second, she walked out of the room as quickly as she could without running, and then raced down the stairs at top speed.

What was happening to her? Why was she behaving like a shy teenager all over again? She thought that it was all over; that she had the strength to face Harry without getting embarrassed ever since she had dated him in her sixth year. But what was this?

No… she'd have to control herself. She did not want to attract any attention. She would master herself and not allow any of these things to happen whenever she faced Harry. She would learn to face him again. She would become the same old Ginny; except, it wouldn't matter so much, because Harry never would look at her in the same way again.

* * *

"I think it's almost time now," said Harry, getting up from the bed to face the dressing table mirror. Tensing a little, he added, "And don't forget whatever I've told you."

She smiled at him. "We'll see about the contacting thing if and when it comes to that. It's a regular case as of now, and I doubt you should be worried."

Harry sighed. "Yeah, I guess…" He began to fiddle with the sleeves of his shirt, folding them backwards; just as there was a rap on the door.

"Come in," called Parvati. "Oh, do you have to leave now?"

Harry looked up, to see Ginny standing at the door, holding Naina in her arms. "Yeah, give me a minute," he said, giving her a small smile.

She stared at him as though she had never seen him and finally stammered, "Actually, I-I just left to come Naina. But yes, we're leaving shortly."

What did she just say? Had she _left to come_Naina?

"Huh?" Harry asked lamely.

"I came to leave Naina with you."

Why was he staring at her now? And how could he be so slow? It was obvious that she had come to leave Naina with Parvati.

Harry looked at Naina and holding out his hands, he said, "Oh, right, give her here."

But as soon as she placed Naina in his arms, a tingle and then another passed through his body. Their fingers had brushed. Harry looked at Ginny again, just in time to see her turn pink. Clearly, she had experienced the same feeling as he had.

She turned away, colouring even more and stumbled with her words yet another time. "C- Come down to the hall, we've leaving." And then she walked out before Harry could reply.

"Harry, will you give Naina here? I need to get her ready."

Harry turned and handed his daughter to Parvati. "You're going out today?"

"Hermione and I are planning to find a good crèche for Naina, Rose and Hugo," said Parvati in reply. "We won't be able to take care of the kids. There has been a fresh batch of AIDS patients at St Mungo's and Hermione is going to get a few blood samples today. We'll be working on the antidote for most of the evenings."

"AIDS?"

"Yep, it's a deadly disease even among wizards. If Hermione and I can find the correct potion, then it will be given to the Muggle patients as well."

"But Parvati," said Harry, "I don't want Naina to grow up in a crèche…"

Parvati gave a weary smile. "It isn't for long! I can't do much about it, Harry, how am I going to give her time, with all the work I have? Keeping her in the same room while brewing all those antidotes could be dangerous too."

Harry sighed. He had always dreamt of a good life for Naina. He had wanted her first education to be imparted to her by her parents. Not in a crèche in the hands of someone else. But then, he was struck with an idea. "Hey," he said, turning to Parvati. "You're only busy in the evenings, right? How will it be if I take care of Naina at that time?"

"Harry, you won't have time. You're on a case."

"I'll make time. Ron and I can always cut it off in the evenings, we're seniors now. Just tell me when you have to start your work."

"I'll start it at around seven. But can you—?"

Harry held up a hand. "Leave it to me. I'll come at six-thirty today, so I can learn a few things about taking care of her from you."

Parvati smiled kindly. "Harry, you don't have to—"

"Come on, Parvati, do you think I'll leave this matter like that? For me, Naina is more important than a murderer roaming the streets of London. And I don't want her to grow up like I did. Of course, a crèche would be better than being taken care of by Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, but still. I'll take over in the evenings. This would be a good way to get her closer to me too."

She smiled at him. "If that suits you, it's wonderful."

Harry chuckled at her. "Okay, I'm going downstairs. Coming?" She nodded and he left the room, Parvati following him along with Naina. The little family walked downstairs and to the living room where the rest of the Aurors, excluding Ron, were waiting.

In about a minute or two, Ron arrived with Hermione, who was carrying a cranky Rose in her arms.

"Come on, then," said Anthony, and Padma gave him a kiss on the cheek as he walked to the door. He kissed her back and went out, Romilda, Irene and Ginny following him.

"Take care, Harry," Parvati said, kissing him on the forehead as he proceeded too.

He just turned around to see Ron ducking to avoid Hermione's kiss. "Oh for God's sake, Hermione, don't coddle me in front of my colleagues!"

"I don't see Harry and Anthony feeling ashamed, Ron."

"Well, I mind it."

Hermione frowned slightly, but waved him goodbye, nonetheless. Ron waved back and the Aurors trudged down the path, to the three cars that had been parked on in the side.

"Right," said Harry, as he unlocked his car. "Let's split up and investigate. Anyone who's got all the addresses?"

"Here," said Romilda, handing him a sheet of paper.

Harry looked at the list of names of people who were related to the murders. "Let's divide into pairs right here, so there's no confusion later on. We'll go talk to this…" he squinted at the sheet, "Rebecca Palmer first. She witnessed the first case, and I think all of us should talk to her."

He went through the other names. "Ron, you and Ginny can go and interrogate this Daisy Joe. She was a friend of the victims too. Anthony; you can go to Charlotte Seam's place with Romilda. Charlotte was murdered in her own house. And I'll go to Belinda Spencer's' home with—" he looked around, only to realise that he had to go with Irene. "Uh, I'll- I'll go with Irene, I guess."

"No matter, mate, you can go with Ginny. Irene will come with me," said Ron, nodding at Harry. After breakfast that morning, Harry wasn't sure if he really wanted to talk much to Irene, except for the basics. But he didn't want to go with Ginny either.

"Come on, let's not waste time," said Anthony. "Irene, go with Ron. Ginny, you can go with Harry." Without further ado, he unlocked his own car and the rest stared at him awhile before following suit.

Harry unlocked his sedan, and beckoned Ginny into it. Once they had been seated comfortably with fastened seat belts, Harry started the car and began to drive.

They pulled out of the lane and entered the main city, a wall of awkwardness making itself evident between them. Harry concentrated on the streets more than he normally would, determined not to look sideways at Ginny. Five painful minutes passed, and neither of them had spoken.

"You're a good driver," said Ginny, finally breaking the silence between them.

"Thanks," he murmured, keeping his yes on the road. He paused. "Do you drive?"

"I learned how to— back in Australia, and got my licence from the Ministry yesterday, but I'm not confident. I still need someone to be there with me whenever I drive."

Harry forgot about the awkwardness and turned to her. "You must be confident about small things like this!" he said disbelievingly. "You can't always depend on others."

"I know, Harry, but who has time to sit with me while I drive for a few days?"

Harry thought for a while before replying. "You know, we're going to do investigations together, anyway. Why don't you do the driving for the next few days? I'll guide you."

"Sounds… good," she shrugged, and Harry knew she wasn't looking forward to it. Yet, he was glad that they hadn't stayed silent through the whole car journey. They reached the witness's address soon and waited outside the car, until Anthony and Ron finally pulled in. The six Aurors then headed down the narrow gravelled path to the doorstep. They rang the doorbell and stood aside, waiting for someone to open the door.

The door finally opened, and a middle-aged woman with black eyes and straight black hair stood before them. "Yes?"

"We're Aurors, from the Ministry of Magic," replied Anthony. "We're here to question Rebecca Palmer."

The woman stared at them for a while, drinking in the fact that six Aurors had come over to her place to question just one person. Finally, she nodded. "I'll take you to Rebecca's room."

The group entered the neat house and proceeded up the stairs. The woman, who Harry assumed was Rebecca's mother, knocked at the first door in the first landing. "Rebecca dear? There are Aurors here who want to talk to you."

There was no answer.

"Rebecca? Can you open the door, please?"

The door swung open, revealing a room painted soft green with posters of various Quidditch players covering the walls. In the corner, a desk stacked with books stood abreast the bed made with yellow sheets. Sitting to the other side of the bed in a matching yellow bean bag chair, was a teenage girl who was reading. Her mother backed out of the room, leaving the Aurors alone with her.

"Rebecca?" Ginny called out to her tentatively. Harry had read in the file this morning that Rebecca was slightly mentally disturbed from witnessing her friend's death. Well, this wasn't going to be easy.

The girl looked up, scowling slightly at the Aurors. She had straight, shoulder-length dark-brown hair and brown eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses. She had pale skin, with a pimple or two scattered here and there. Harry knew that she was eighteen, but her face still had a childish look to it. In addition, she was rather skinny, and as she stood up to look at them, she seemed short. She couldn't be more than five feet tall, give or take an inch.

"Um, hello," ventured Anthony.

Rebecca did not reply, but instead asked, "Why are you here?"

"We've come to ask you questions about the serial killings in London," said Ginny. "Could you-"

"Get out."

"Rebecca," began Ginny. "Look-"

"Just go. I don't want to talk."

"Re-"

"GO! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU! GO! GO!" The girl reached for the pillows on her bed and threw them at the Aurors.

Anthony caught one of the pillows and tossed it aside. "Look, Rebecca, we need to speak with you. You can't avoid it. Talk to us on your own, or we will have to force you to give the information." And he reached into his pocket and drew out a vial of Veritaserum.

Rebecca's eyes swivelled between the vial and Anthony. Then, all of a sudden, her face reddened with anger. "Do it then! Give me that bloody Veritaserum! Get out all the facts. You people never understand, do you? Never lost so many friends as I have, right? Here I am, trying to forget how horrible my life has been in the last month, and now I have Aurors swarming into my house like bees for nectar, reopening old wounds. You people are not concerned about me, are you? You just want to make money investigating cases." She buried her face in her hands, trying to control her anger.

Anthony opened his mouth again, but Ginny held up her hand. "I'll talk to her." Going ahead, she knelt before her and called her softly. "Rebecca?"

She looked up at Ginny. "Please go away. Tell your friends that I don't want to talk."

"Hey," said Ginny, "I understand what you've been through and how you feel." She turned around and gestured to Harry "I'm friends with Harry, you know, and he has gone through this. You can tell him, if you don't want to tell us."

Rebecca sighed, glancing at Harry. "It's still not the same…"

Ginny nodded. "We understand. We really, really don't know what's going on in your mind right now. But you know what? If you answer us, we can have your revenge. We can get the murderer caught."

"You're Harry Potter's best friend?" Rebecca asked.

"Friend…" Ginny corrected her, "but yes." She gestured towards Ron. "He's Harry's best friend. You have us, and there's Harry… and we can relate to what you feel."

Rebecca turned to Ron and smiled. "You must be Ron Weasley! I'm sorry that I didn't recognise you. I saw your pictures in the Prophet around ten years ago, when you helped Harry defeat You-Know-Who. I was only eight then and remember your face very vaguely. Even now, I'm not exactly in my right mind. But you're so lucky… you have a best friend."

Ron smiled at her awkwardly, as Ginny continued speaking to her. "But you're equally lucky. You have a loving family. And believe me, your friends are watching over you— seeing you talk to me right now."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Then- then if I answer every question of yours, can the murderer be caught soon?"

"Of course, if everything goes well."

Rebecca turned to Ron. "I'll answer your questions. Only your questions."

Ginny nodded encouragingly, though everyone seemed bewildered at this. She got up and made way for Ron, who conjured a chair and sat before Rebecca, ready to kick off the case proceedings officially.

* * *

**Guest review responses:**

**Lily: **Hey! That's such a wonderful review, and I'm so happy! :D It really made my day! :) Seriously, I was at lunch in a nice restaurant, and I got the e-mail, and squeed so loud, a few people turned to look at me, and my dad laughed at me lol.

Oh, don't worry, I am going to continue posting this. I can never live with myself if I don't revamp the mess this originally was, lol. The haters aren't dissuading me, exactly- they're annoying me. I wish they'd have some patience, but they show no intention of waiting and watching. They've decided that Ginny is going to be 'the other woman', or is going to remain heartbroken, or... I don't know, just stuff that's really annoying me.

Oh, and I'm so glad someone's mentioning the case. :D Because this story was originally built upon the murders, and then came Harry and Ginny, and Ron and Hermione, then Harry's marriage to Parvati. I'm changing many things about the case from the original too, and I hope this is as suspenseful as I want it to be. You can expect many cliffhangers and stuff, lol. And Rebecca is just one of the few OCs that you're going to meet. I hope you like them!

Ugh, I'm not a H/P shipper either, believe me, but I have to scrunch up my face and write them for the story, ahahaha. :D Naina is pronounced as 'Nah-naa'. I can't explain exactly, as the precise alphabets don't exist in English. But this is as close as it can get. I'd link you to some pronunciation guide, but can't do it here. I'll find one and put it in my Bio. You can check for it there. :)

Thank you for the lovely, review! *hearts* Pooja :)


	6. The Interviews

**Author's Notes:**

Thank you once again, Pauie!

Hello again! Sorry it's been long. I'm participating in a challenge, and am insanely claiming all kinds of ships. (I wrote Cedric/Penelope, and I'm now working on Scorpius/Victoire). Since mainly has readership for the mainstream ships only, I won't be submitting my Cenelope here. If you're interested though, let me know!

In this chapter, I have introduced an important character. She's one half of my OC/OC pairing, which I later on got obsessed with. (I hate getting OC obsessed. It's difficult to be evil with them once that happens).

As usual, reviews are love, constructive criticism is awesome and don't force me to be scary by posting hate comments because you assume something is something. Always remember that it's best not to assume anything. Let me do the hard-work. You only have to read, and if you don't like it, you can always stop reading. :)

I will also advise that you guys don't read the MNFF version of this. The main reason I'm taking my time with this version is that I'm improving and changing a lot of things. You'll come across a lot of juvenile rubbish and blatant OC obsession in the old version. My OCs have their own story now, which I'm also translating into OF, so yes, the obsession is in control lol.

All guest reviewers can find their responses at the end of this chapter shortly after I see their reviews. :)

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Interviews**

"So, Rebecca, what happened on the day Belinda Spencer was murdered?"

Harry, Ginny, Anthony and Romilda stood outside the interrogation room at the Auror office as Ron and Irene started off Rebecca's interview. The latter, however, sighed at their question. "I was alone at home that day. Mum and Dad had gone out for shopping. And… I was studying. I like to do that sometimes."

Ron nodded. "Then?"

"Well, I decided to take a break from it." Rebecca replied to him. "I was hungry, so I got to the kitchen and started to slice apples. Then, Belinda came into the house."

"Did she just enter without knocking or ringing the doorbell?" asked Romilda.

"Yes," Rebecca replied. "She always comes like that- she's like…" her voice trailed away, and there was sadness on her young face. "She iwas/i like a part of this house…"

"I'm sorry," said Irene sympathetically, and Ron muttered his own condolence, as Rebecca looked away to wipe her tears. There was silence as the Aurors waited for her to regain composure.

"Did she close the door behind her?" Ron asked her, when she was better.

"I d-don't remember… maybe not…"

"Okay and what happened then?" questioned Irene.

"She came into the kitchen," said Rebecca. "Said she wanted to talk to me about something."

"Anything specific?"

"Yes, she told me that she was being followed. I mentioned this even on my previous interview."

There was another silence. "She was really nervous," said Rebecca, breaking it. "She was in hysterics — she kept crying, and saying that she was scared. I comforted her, and asked her to lie down in my room while I made her tea."

"Okay," said Irene. "Then?"

"She left. And I started to make the tea. I had just put the kettle on the gas, and… and she screamed." Rebecca went pale, and continued in a whisper, "She was in the living room. And… I panicked… and…"

"And…?"

"S-She was white as a sheet. She kept pointing at the window… I could see nothing… and… Then there was blood. Blood everywhere…"

"Just like that? No sound? No-one breaking in…?"

"No. There was blood. Just like that."

"But you didn't see anyone?" asked Ron. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"And no weapon? Knife? Light flashes from a spell…?"

"Nothing," said Rebecca, her eyes filling up. "She was d-dead. Just like that." She sniffed, wiping away her tears. "I fainted afterwards, and then, before I woke up at the hospital, my friend, Daisy, erased the memory of Belinda's body and all, to prevent any traumas."

"You just recounted everything," Irene pointed out at her.

"Yeah, because the Memory Charm was broken by the other Aurors at the time of initial investigations." Rebecca sighed. "Look, calling me a 'witness' is wrong. I really didn't see much."

"Why did Daisy erase your memory?" Irene asked her again. "Did she tell you?"

"She was trying to help me."

"I hope you know that it's not allowed."

"I do now, but I don't think she did. She's an Obliviator — she's just started out at work. Look, don't suspect her, okay? She's my friend. I know what she's like, and she'd never kill anyonw. She has no reason to, either."

Outside the interrogation room, Harry looked at the others. "I think we should let Ron and Irene deal with Rebecca. She's only ready to talk to Ron, anyway. The rest of us can go to the other people's places."

Romilda nodded in agreement. "I think that's the right thing to do."

"Ginny and I will go to Daisy Joe's place, then," said Harry, "and Anthony; you can head straight to Belinda's place."

The Aurors walked out of the Ministry and headed to their cars. Harry unlocked his, but beckoned Ginny to the driver's seat this time.

She looked at him, positively terrified. "Are you s-sure I-I've to start right now?"

"How else will you learn?"

"But Harry-"

"Get in, Ginny, you'll do fine."

Ginny gave him a last scared look and got in. With shaky hands, she put the keys in and turned the ignition. Her left hand clutched the lever, while her right was limp on the steering wheel.

"Come on," said Harry.

Ginny took a deep breath and she put the car on reverse mode. The car began to go backwards, as Ginny moved the wheel lightly. Soon, it was in the correct position, and with another deep breath, Ginny switched the car to 'drive'.

She was able to do it fairly well, once she got over the initial anxiety. Harry did not comment, but just watched her drive the car using her own instincts. She drove it all the way down the highway and pulled it into the narrow lane that they knew would lead to Daisy's house.

They reached the house, finally, and Ginny put the car into park mode. She pulled it against the wall, and parked it properly.

"You're good," said Harry, as they got off and walked to Daisy's house from the car.

"Thanks," replied Ginny. "I was not too confident until now."

"Do you still need someone to accompany you?"

"Maybe for a few more days…"

Harry rang the doorbell of the large house. This time, though, it was opened by a young girl with black eyes and short, curly, jet black hair in a messy bob. Her face was round and chubby, with a few pimples scattered over it. And like Rebecca, she wore glasses.

"Hello!" the girl said, "May I help you?"

"Yeah," replied Ginny. "We're Aurors from the Ministry of Magic. We want to meet Daisy Joe."

"Oh, that's me," the girl replied. Her face fell. "Is this about the serial killings?"

Harry nodded. "We need to ask you a few questions. Can we come in?"

"Sure," she said, leading them to the living room and gesturing towards a couch. "Do settle yourself. I'll be back in a minute."

Harry and Ginny went ahead sat on a couch as they waited for Daisy. In two minutes, the girl was back with two large glasses of lemonade in a tray. She offered the tray to Harry and Ginny, who took a glass each.

"So," said Daisy, sitting on an armchair, "You wanted to speak to me?"

"Yes," said Harry. "We just need to ask you a few questions. There might be an interview at the department too."

"Go on, then," Daisy replied to him.

"Well, firstly, what is your occupation?" Harry asked, as Ginny pulled out a notebook and a quill.

"I'm an Obliviator at the Ministry."

"Any special reasons for that?"

"Well, Memory Charms are my specialty, to tell you the truth."

"And how often do you use these charms?"

"As often as my department requires me to."

"When was the last time you used the Memory Charm?"

"Last week, when some Muggle witnessed Mundungus Fletcher tackling a broomstick that swept the floors by itself."

"Could I have your wand, please?"

"Yeah, sure." Daisy pulled out a wand from her pocket and handed it to Harry, who performed a few spells on it with his own wand.

"You sure seem to have used this charm many times in the last month… well, how do you connect yourself to Rebecca Palmer?"

"Rebecca Palmer?" asked Daisy. She blinked.

"Isn't she your friend?" Harry asked Daisy.

Daisy bit her lip. "No."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Rebecca was not your friend?"

"No," Daisy repeated. "I…" she hesitated. "We're not friends. Not anymore, anyway." She looked hurt.

"So you didn't put that Memory Charm on her after the first murder that she witnessed?"

"I haven't done any such thing," shrugged the teenager. "I'd never interrupt an investigation by erasing Rebecca's memory."

"She says that you wanted to help her," said Harry. "And, when you say you're not friends _anymore_—"

"We were friends before," confirmed Daisy. "But we stopped talking last year." She looked very distressed as she added, "I feel terrible for Belinda, though. I knew her."

Ginny scratched out the details on her notebook, as Harry pondered a little. "I guess that's all, Daisy. We'll talk to you when we need to know more."

"Well, see you," said Harry, as he shook hands with Daisy. Ginny did the same, and they stepped out of the house to head towards their car.

"Well, that's weird," said Ginny, sitting on the driver's seat. Harry nodded at her, but he was wondering who was lying. Rebecca had seemed positive that she and Daisy were friends. It had really sounded as though they were very thick. On the on the other hand, Daisy…

Fifteen minutes later, Harry's car had pulled into the parking lot outside the Ministry. They headed towards the Auror Headquarters, where Harry invited Ginny into his new office. She perched herself on a chair, while Harry removed a sheaf of parchment from his drawer.

"Okay," he said, dipping a quill into a bottle of ink. "Both of us know that either Rebecca or Daisy is lying."

Ginny nodded. "Both of them sounded genuine… Who do you reckon it could be? Any suspicions?"

"Not really," said Harry. "Rebecca wasn't very co-operative, though…"

Ginny looked unsure. "Yeah… but wasn't Rebecca the _witness_ of the first murder?"

"Daisy did not hesitate to answer our questions."

"But that's not valid, because Rebecca is not in a stable state of mind. Besides, Daisy could always be a good liar. We have no proof that what she said was the truth."

"Did you note down whatever she said?"

"Yup, have a look."

Ginny smiled, handing her notebook to Harry and they began to work, drawing different conclusions from the story they had received from Rebecca as well as Daisy's information. Finally, the others came in near four in the evening.

"I've got important news, mate," said Ron, as Romilda shut the door of the meeting room. "Rebecca reckons she remembers seeing something before she fainted."

"What is it?" Harry asked him.

Ron looked at Harry, straight in the eye. "A mass of black hair."

* * *

"But the question is, how can it be Daisy?" asked Ginny, driving the car down the highway.

"It can't," replied Harry. "Because, from what Ron said, Rebecca is clever enough to deduce that."

"Hmmm..."

There was silence for some time, as Ginny drove on. At last, they approached the guest house.

"Here we are," said Ginny, and as Harry smiled at her, he thought he saw for a moment, only for a moment, that her face was oddly blank.

They neared the house, but to Harry's shock, instead of stopping, the car began to gain speed. Harry looked desperately at Ginny. "What are you doing – AAARRGGHHH !"

The car became faster still and began to rush down the lane itself. Ginny had apparently kept her foot on the accelerator instead of the break. "Harry, I can't stop!" Her knuckles had gone white over the steering wheel, and she seemed unable to do anything.

They were fast approaching the fork in the road, and were heading straight to the supermarket. Ginny honked a fair few times to warn the people, as she tried in vain to stop the car.

"Harry, Harry, we're going to crash!"

Harry stretched sideways and threw an arm over the steering, swerving it to the left for the second time in two days. But as he did so, he spotted a lone figure walking along with a pram. And he recognised it instantly.

"PARVATI!"

She looked up and Harry just caught sight of her shocked face before the car crashed onto her and charged towards the tree behind. A low branch hit the glass, and before Harry could do so much as catch a second glimpse of his wife, a large piece of shattered glass pierced him through his cheek, and he could do nothing more than succumb to the darkness.


	7. Murder at Bethnal Green

**Author's Notes:**

Hello!

I'm really sorry about the delay, but I've been busy writing like a crazy person for a challenge. I churned out four fics there, ahaha, and one of them was completed just hours before deadline (though I do have a story which I finished 10 seconds before deadline) lol.

Anyway, all the old beta work on this was by Pauie, and I do love her a lot *huggles*!

As usual, reviews are awesome, constructive crit is awesome, but flaming for things assumed reasons will lead to a very mean and scary version of me. Guests, once moderated, will be responded to at the end of this chapter. You can come, check in a day or two.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Murder at Bethnal Green**

_A flash and a spurt of a thick, scarlet liquid… she knew he was in pain. No… no… this couldn't happen…_

A spurt of thick, scarlet liquid and a gasp… a whisper of 'Naina'… she knew he was worried. Were Parvati and Naina dead? No! It couldn't be…  
  
"It can't be… it can't be…"

"Ginny, it's okay."

"They're not dead…"

"Open your eyes."

"I killed someone!"

"Open your eyes, Ginny."

Ginny did not want to open her eyes and see all the damage she had brought about. She had probably killed Harry and Parvati in that accident. What the hell had happened to her? She remembered feeling blank at a point of time, but then she had regained her senses and had still been unable to do anything. And now, she was possibly a murderer.

"Ginny…" a hand squeezed her forearm, eyes flew open as tears fooded her eyes.

"I killed them, didn't I?"

"No. Listen to me, will you?"

Ginny saw Hermione's blurred figure crouch before her. She threw her arms around Hermione, who returned the hug, stroking her back. "It's all right."

Tears began to stream down Ginny's face. "I don't know how that even happened…"

Hermione tightened the arm around her. "It's all right, Ginny. Everyone is fine."

There seemed to be something robotic about her voice that made Ginny look at her. "You're lying."

"No," said Hermione, leading Ginny back to her bed. "Parvati is alive and well and so is Naina. Harry is hurt, but Parvati is treating him now, so he'll be fine too."

"Then can you take me to Parvati? I want to see her."

"You're not supposed to overexert yourself, Ginny, you were hurt, too."

"I don't care!"

"I do," said Hermione, firmly. "We all do, Ginny, so please get some rest."

"No! I need to see them!"

"Ginny, please—"

"TAKE ME THERE!"

"No, Ginny," said a firm voice, and Ginny saw Ron approaching her from a corner.

"Where did you come from?" asked Ginny, bewildered at her brother's sudden appearance.

"I was here all this time," Ron replied. "And you won't go anywhere. Parvati is treating Harry and you're wounded too."

Ginny sat up on her bed. "Look, if you don't take me to that room, I'll go there by myself."

"Fine. We'll see how you do that."

Ginny opened her mouth to retort, but a lump began to form in her throat. "Fine," she said, in a shaky voice and lay down again, controlling her tears with great difficulty. Hermione looked at her for a second, and kept her hand on Ginny's.

"Ginny, don't cry."

Ginny turned away, determined not to let her brother catch her crying, and let silent tears stream down her face. But she knew that Ron had realised what she was doing, and heard the door shut as he walked out.

***

The first thing that Harry felt when he came to, was an intense pain in his right leg. He could not move either of his legs, as they seemed to be frozen. His hands seemed to be made of rock, too. It was impossible to even twitch them. His head hurt. His cheek burned in pain.

Harry moaned in agony, as he opened his eyes. He was surprised and happy to see Parvati there, and her eyes were narrowed, as she worked on his leg. Relieved, he began to sit up but she pushed him back against the pillows. "Stay put."

"Are you fine?" he croaked. "Naina…?"

"She's absolutely fine, Harry, she's playing with Rose and Hugo, right now. I Disapparated with her before the car could crash into me."

Harry took a deep breath as he heard a knock on the door. "Come in," said Parvati, and the door opened.

"How's he?" asked a voice that Harry recognised as Ron's.

"Better," replied Parvati.

"Is he still bleeding?"

"Yep. He's managed to break his leg, and his cheek's pretty bad, but I've stopped the bleeding temporarily. How's Ginny? Has she woken up?"

"Yeah," said Ron. "And she's having kittens about you."

"Tell her we're fine."

"We did, but she still wants to see you. And Hermione's still healing her, so she can't go anywhere."

"Hmm," said Parvati, dabbing potion on a cut on Harry's face. He grimaced as it stung, and she looked sorry. However, she turned to Ron. "I need Hermione's help, actually, so Ginny might have to come here." She gently opened Harry's mouth and stuck a cotton pad in it before adding as an afterthought, "or we can take Harry there."

"Yeah, but won't it be weary for him if we move him?"

"It's okay, he'll be fine. Just levitate him. I'll help you."

"All right, then," said Ron, but he looked unsure for a moment. Parvati nodded at him.

"Do it."

"Uh… okay, _Wingardium leviosa_," said Ron, carefully swishing and flicking his wand. Harry felt a jolt in his stomach as he rose in the air, and Ron carefully levitated him out of the room, Parvati providing him with directions as they moved. It was only a short distance until they seemed to have reached Ginny's room. Ron shoved a door open and there was an instant squeak of 'Harry!'

"Oh God, Ron," said Hermione's voice. "Why did you get him here?"

Harry heard her bustling about and Ron finally laid him on a comfortable bed. "Happy now?" he asked someone — probably Ginny. Then again, there was a sound of the door being shut and Harry knew that Ron had gone outside.

"Ginny," said Parvati, as she sat on Harry's bed beside him. "The fault was not yours and neither was it Harry's. I Disapparated just in time and everything is completely fine, You are awake, Harry will recover in no time… why do you two worry so much?"

"I was scared for you," Ginny replied. "And Parvati, I promise I'll never drive again."

"It was an accident. It won't happen every time."

Ginny was quiet this time, and Harry felt Parvati leave his bedside. She walked around his bed for a few seconds, before finally putting a blanket over his legs.

"So have you found all his injuries?" asked Hermione, settling on Harry's bed.

"Apart from the torn cheek, he has broken his tibia," Parvati explained to Hermione.

"Have you put the bone back in place?"

"Yup."

"Then give him the potion."

"He can't swallow anything right now. The cheek is still healing."

Hermione stood up. "Shall we inject it?" Needles were a new development in wizarding medicine. Hermione and Parvati had recently taken short courses on their use, and from what Harry could decipher, they'd probably never used them after that.

"Oh," Parvati said, "I don't know…"

Hermione smiled. "I'll help you. You won't go wrong. Come on." She walked out of the room and came back in a few minutes, with a syringe and a needle in her hand.

"You're going to prick him?" The words had come unexpectedly out of Ginny's mouth, and she looked at the women, horrified. "That will hurt him!"

Parvati chuckled. "I'm glad that you're so concerned about him, Ginny, but believe me, giving him just a tiny prick and watching him cure in moments is better than waiting for him to be in a condition to swallow that potion."

"Oh… sorry, I was just terrified when I saw that you were going to use a needle and … well…" Ginny's face reddened.

"It's okay," said Parvati. "Personally, I hate the thought of doing this. Muggles have weird Healing methods, but some of it is just darn useful in conditions like this…" She loaded the syringe, pulled up Harry's sleeve and rubbed some spirit onto it. Then she carefully ejected some fluid, and bit her lip.

"Do it," said Hermione. "Deltoid. Above the axillary nerve."

Parvati got the needle close to Harry, and then shook her head. "I can't."

Harry chuckled at her. "Do it, Parvati, what's the worst thing that can happen?"

"Your arm could get paralysed," Parvati replied in a small voice.

"Seriously?" Ginny asked from the other bed.

"No," Hermione said, exasperatedly, but Harry could make out that she was lying. He wasn't afraid anyway — he was used to the vaccines that he'd had to take as a child. Meanwhile, Hermione spoke to Parvati. "I'll do it if you want me too."

"F-Fine."

Hermione took the syringe from her, rubbed on some spirit again, and taking a deep breath, she plunged the needle into Harry's arm. Harry remained calm stayed calm, remembering that nothing could be worse than re-growing bones anyway, but Hermione looked a little guilty about pricking him. "Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry…"

"Nah, don't worry," said Harry, grinning at her. "I've had worse."

"Thanks, Hermione," said Parvati, emerging from the other side. "I'm going to see how your bone has healed, now Harry. Just tell me if it hurts anywhere, okay?"

Hermione got up from her place and conjured a curtain, separating Ginny's and Harry's beds. "Sorry, Ginny, but I think we should let Harry have his privacy, now," she said, as she sat on Ginny's bed. "Parvati will let us know when it's done."

***

In another ten minutes, Parvati ripped the curtains apart, to reveal a very tired-looking Harry, resting on his bed. Hermione got up and went over to Harry's bed. "How is he?"

"I've finished doing whatever can be done," Parvati replied. "He should be fine now."

"How do you feel?" Hermione asked, bending over and planting a light kiss on Harry's forehead.

Harry smiled faintly. "Tired."

"Come, let's go to our room and you can sleep," said Parvati, keeping a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Ginny, can we go to our room?"

Ginny nodded. "Ron is mental. I never asked anyone to get Harry all the way to my room. I'm sorry, to have been such trouble."

"No, no, it was fine," said Parvati, smiling. "Come on, Harry." She gave her hand to Harry, who made a valiant attempt to sit up, but merely sank back. "What happened?"

"It's – it's quite painful," gasped Harry, gritting his teeth.

Hermione, who had been next to the door, hurried back. "What's wrong?"

"The pain," Parvati replied. "I forgot to give him a pain killer."

"Do you have the potion on you?"

"I'll have to look for it in my room."

"Well, same here, but I don't know whether there's still some potion left, or not. I'll check, anyway." Hermione walked out of the room.

In the meantime, Parvati turned to Harry. "I'll be right back."

Harry nodded, as Parvati walked away in a hurry. Ginny lay on her bed for a while, but decided to go have a proper look at Harry. Slowly, she stood up and walked to Harry's bed, where he rested with his eyes closed. His face was pallid and as Ginny settled herself on his bed, he opened his eyes.

She looked at him for some time. He seemed very injured and helpless. She wished that she could help him out, but what could she do, really? She was definitely not a Healer.

But she had to tell him something.

Was it important enough to be told right now? Ginny decided that it was, and took a deep breath. "Harry, I think someone tried to kill Parvati today."

He opened his eyes. "How can you say that?"

"I'm pretty sure that someone had done something to the brakes."

He looked surprised. "You definitely didn't keep your foot on the accelerator?"

"Of course not, Harry."

"Hmm…" he frowned. "Let's see what the others find out."

Just then, the door opened, and Hermione came in, unscrewing a bottle of potion. In a moment, she had spooned some potion and put it into Harry's mouth. He swallowed it, and seemed to feel better, for he sat up immediately. "Come on, Ginny, let's go and—"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "You're not going anywhere, Harry."

"But Hermione, it's impor—"

"I don't care! You are recuperating at the moment and I'm not allowing you to go to any other place, excepting your own bedroom."

Harry stood up. "Fine, then. Call the others to my room, will you?"

Hermione sighed and nodded in defeat. But as Ginny got up, she realised something. "Wait a minute. You're supposed to be resting too, Ginny."

"Hermione…"

"Okay, okay, go on, then. I'll call the others. But Ginny, you'll come back here in ten minutes."

"Yes, Mum," said Ginny exasperatedly, and Hermione was about to retort, but she decided against it.

Harry smiled at this and took a step ahead, only to feel a sharp pain shoot up his leg. "OW!"

"What happened?" asked Hermione.

"My leg…"

"Didn't I tell you—?"

"No. It's okay, I'm fine now."

Harry walked out of the room, and after he and Ginny had walked for quite some distance, he stopped.

"What's wrong?" asked Ginny.

Harry looked at her. "Could you give me a hand? My leg isn't quite upto the mark."

"But then—!"

"I lied to Hermione, so she'd let me go."

Ginny smiled. "Harry, when exactly are you going to stop playing the hero?" Nevertheless, she gave him her hand.

Harry smiled back at her and when he took her hand, a feeling of comfort passed through him. She interlaced fingers with his and squeezed his hand reassuringly as they walked to Harry's room, her other arm around him, helping him walk.

Parvati, who was rummaging one of the shelves next to the bed smiled at them as they entered and helped them lie down, as all the other Aurors entered, too. Romilda was beaming at them, Irene looked indifferent and Anthony grinned at the duo through his grease-stained face. "I've been checking the car," he explained.

Ginny looked at him. "Are the brakes fine?"

"As good as ever," replied Anthony. "Nothing's wrong with the brakes. I think you might have kept your foot on the accelerator. It was purely an accident. No evidences of tampering. It was definitely a coincidence for Parvati to have been right in front of the car. The car, though, would have been spick and span if it were not for the crash. I've restored it to its original condition, anyway."

Ginny breathed deeply and looked down. "I guess I must stop driving, then. Clearly, driving is not for me… I could have killed three people as well as myself, today…"

There was silence. Irene sighed. "Okay, then, I'm turning in. It's half-past ten already." She was about to leave, when she remembered something. "Oh yeah, we spoke to Belinda's family members and searched her room. There's practically nothing that's helpful."

There was silence again as Irene left. Somehow, her presence seemed to cast an aura of unpleasantness. A shiver of relief seemed to evolve in the room and with short goodbyes, the others left, too. Ginny was helped to her room by Ron; Parvati brought Harry a tray of food in a short while, since he had not had dinner. Naina was now sitting on Parvati's lap, drinking a bottle of milk lazily.

The small hand of the clock on the wall crept to eleven. Harry, having finished his food, adjusted his pillows and settled in as Parvati put Naina in her cot and lay down next to Harry. They switched off the lights and Harry snuggled into the blankets, shutting his eyes and taking deep breaths. Today had been one hell of a day… Harry sank into a deep sleep within minutes.

* * *

Daisy's eyes flew open at the loud ring of her mobile. She sighed. She hated this thing that Andrew, her best friend, had forced her to keep. However, she sat up from her awkward position; she had been reading a book and fallen asleep at her desk. Rubbing her aching neck, Daisy grabbed the phone and looked at the name flashing on the screen. It was Andrew. Speak of the devil. She took the call. "Yes, Andrew."

It was not Andrew who replied, though. It was someone else and Daisy recognised the voice well. "YOU ABSOLUTE BITCH! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

"Hey, Liz?" said Daisy, grinning. Elizabeth had a strange habit of swearing at her own friends sometimes. "What's the matter?"

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK AS THOUGH NOTHING HAS HAPPENED! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS. I'M TELLING THE AURORS THAT IT'S YOU."

Daisy frowned. "Wait. What—?" There was a click and Liz had disconnected the phone. Daisy's heart began to race as she got up and dressed. What was the matter? Why was Liz calling the Aurors? Had it happened already…? Daisy ran down the stairs and Summoned her coat as she hurried out. With a crash, she remembered that Liz had called from Andrew's house. Could this mean…? No! He had promised! Running outside her house, Daisy turned on her heel and promptly Disapparated to Andrew's house.

* * *

_Tap tap tap._

Harry sat up, startled as the owl continued to tap at the window. Who the hell was it at the dead of night? Groaning, Harry limped over, only to realise that it wasn't an owl — it was an emergency notice. The Auror department had special emergency notices, which, like Memos, were folded into paper airplanes, but could tap at windows (or even the head of the Auror in question) in order to deliver the message. Startled, Harry grabbed the notice and unfolded it. It just had six words on it.

_Another murder. Bethnal Green. Floo immediately._


	8. At Andrew's House

**Author's Notes:**

Make way! Giant chapter coming through!

This chapter has a lot of variations from the original. I do hope this is much better! Hehe. And here I introduce another OC, Chris, whom I share a love/hate relationship with. Chris started off as a character based on someone I knew, but then as I wrote him, he developed into an OC by true means, a person I could know (and really wouldn't like to know) in real life. Daisy and Chris have both evolved with my writing over the years. I was afraid to write them, because they were my first OCs, and I was scared of Mary-Sues infiltrating my fics. However, I will always love these two (and hate Chris sometimes) because they introduced me to the joy of writing OCs. And to all my fellow fanfic authors, OCs are so, so wonderful, you should really try them sometimes. :) So yes, in the original A/N for this fic on MNFF, I've said that Chris based on a friend. But that's not true anymore, hehe. And I hope you guys are interested in a Daisy/Chris plotline (I promise, I'll try to keep it to a minimum, but I remember, I wanted some teenage fluff in this, which was the entire reason that I wrote them).

Kudos to Pauie for perfecting this fic.

Reviews and constructive crit are good, and flaming will make me mean. Don't do that to me, please. No-one wants that.

Most importantly, at this point, at Chris's arrival, I'd like to dedicate all my writing, revamping and effort upon this fic to a friend and classmate, whom I lost a year and a half ago. He had snorted when I told him I'd written a character called Daisy (I only got to know this person after I completed this fic, and Daisy happened to be his girlfriend's name). I'll never forget that day, or this friend.

* * *

**Chapter 7: At Andrew's House**

"Andrew Paul. Eighteen. He had just applied for Auror Training," said Harry, pouring himself a cup of tea as he spoke. He skimmed through the short report that he'd received from the Auror department. "And he studied with the other victims." He handed Ron the file. "There's something going on here, that these people aren't telling us about. It's obviously related to something that happened at Hogwarts."

"They are being rather tight-lipped about it," agreed Anthony. "How do we get them to tell us the truth?"

"Veritaserum, I guess," Irene replied shrugging.

"We can hardly use that all the time," said Ginny. "We need to interview, and then interrogate them the normal way first."

"But if they won't tell—"

"Well, it will require some tactics," Harry told Irene. "Ginny's right. We can't go around giving them Veritaserum. It's not supposed to be used until they refuse to answer us."

"What house was Andrew in?" Romilda asked from the other side of the table. "At Hogwarts?"

"Ravenclaw," Harry replied. "Same as Rebecca and Daisy."

"So once again, it's Rebecca's friend."

There was silence. Ron, who had finished reading the report, spoke up. "How do you reckon we should go about the questioning?"

"I really don't know," sighed Harry. He paused. "Is forensics done with its investigations at the crime scene? We need to go see the body too."

"They said they'll let us know once they finish," replied Anthony. "I think we should just devise a different way of questioning in the meantime."

"Are there really two ways about that?"

There was more silence. The only sounds that could be heard were those of Harry sipping his tea. Suddenly, they heard footsteps descend the staircases, and Hermione emerged from the hallway in a robe. She seemed surprised at seeing them. "You still haven't left for the investigation?"

"The forensics department is at the crime scene," Ron explained to her. "We'll leave as soon as they call."

"Oh." She paused. "Anything I can help with?"

Harry smiled up at her. "I wish. We can't discuss the case with you, Hermione. Sorry."

"Well, actually," Ginny spoke up, "We could do with some ideas from you." Hermione walked up to them, crossing her hands, as Ginny continued. "How would you interrogate a group of teenagers who are unwilling to be open with you?"

When Hermione didn't reply, Ginny explained herself. "We have some teenage suspects in this case — the victims are all teenagers who studied together at Hogwarts."

"I know," replied Hermione. "So… your suspects aren't talking?"

"Not really."

Hermione bit her lip. "Well… when I have teenage patients who refuse to open up about… certain things," she hesitated, "I'm not sure if you can do this…"

"Honestly, Hermione," said Harry, "We need any ideas that you have."

"Well, then," replied Hermione, "I tend to behave more like a friend than their Healer. I get informal, I talk about this and that… and they get comfortable and tell me what I want to know." She sighed. "You obviously can't do that, because you're not allowed to know the suspects on a personal level, are you?"

"We're not," replied Harry, disappointed. Hermione's idea was good; except that if the Aurors got personally involved with anyone related to the case, they'd have to resign from it.

"I need water, I'll be back in a minute," said Hermione, leaving the room and heading for the kitchen. Harry pushed the file away; hoping forensics would call them soon.

"You know," Ginny said just then, "We don't _actually_ have to be friends with them."

"We can't," Irene said.

"Yeah, I know that," Ginny replied. "But _they_ don't!"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked her, leaning forward on his chair.

"Well, we can pretend to be friendly. Maybe they'll confide in us."

"I somehow doubt that," said Irene. "They _know_ we're Aurors. They're not just going to confess to being involved in murders."

"But we don't need them to tell us that!" Ginny said. "If we could just somehow find out about their past, and how they knew each other. Maybe we'll know about some bitterness or anything that's happened before. There has to be _some_ secret there, because it doesn't make sense that they're getting murdered just like that. They're hiding something huge."

"And what about the fact that they might know that we aren't supposed to interact with them on a personal level? We're dealing with a few Ravenclaws too, you know."

"We can tell them that they have changed the rules," shrugged Ginny. "And we can start by using their first names when we address them. That's always good."

"The first names thing is a good idea, but they're not stupid to believe the rest,," sighed Irene.

"It's always worth a try," Harry countered.

"Okay, then, let's try," replied Irene, shrugging her shoulders as Hermione emerged from the kitchen.

"Have you decided?" Hermione asked them.

Harry grinned up at his best friend. "As usual, Hermione, you're a life-saver."

* * *

_Crack!_

The still air of the night seemed to ripple with disturbance as six people materialised out of thin air right under a huge tree which stood outside a house, with a few witches and wizards standing beside the doorway — the forensics department. There was relative silence around — the only sounds that could be heard were those of the people on the forensics team as they looked around. One of the window panes in the house was shattered.

Harry limped along with his colleagues through the gates and the open doors into the living room. They saw two women on a couch, and they seemed to have been left alone to mourn. Understandably, they looked very upset.

Walanger had told the Auors that Andrew lived with his parents. No one had been at home when he was murdered. Andrew's mother, and his grandmother, who had come to visit, had apparently been out, while his father was out of town. Andrew's girlfriend, Elizabeth, had discovered that something was amiss when she dropped in for a visit after being called home by Andrew, and no one replied to the doorbell. She had immediately called her friends, a pair of twins named Mike and Neil who had been just as unsuccessful in entering until they finally broke a window. They had found Andrew lying dead and had tried to contact the Auror department at once. They could only get through at midnight, though, but Elizabeth had wasted no time in suggesting that they interrogate Daisy Joe.

"It's that Daisy Joe…" said a voice, and Harry turned around to see a teary brunette emerge from a dark corner. She was flanked by a pair of twin men who seemed to be grieving, too. Both the men had dark hair with a bit of stubble. One of the twins wore a pair of shorts while the other was dressed in jeans and a green t-shirt.

Harry frowned. If this girl was so sure that it was Daisy, then he needed to interrogate both the girl and Daisy thoroughly. "Your name?"

"Elizabeth Richards."

Ron nodded. "Okay. Well, you need to answer a few questions before we can talk to Daisy. If you are very sure that she is responsible for this and if you can provide us with the necessary evidence, then tactful interrogation of Daisy can get us a confession from her."

"Okay, I'm ready to answer your questions," replied Elizabeth.

Harry nodded and gestured to a couch. Just as he sat down along with Elizabeth, Anthony and Irene approached Andrew's family and led them inside for the interview, as Romilda proceeded to talk to a witch from forensics. Ginny came over and sat beside Harry and Ron.

"What's going on there?" asked Harry.

"Anthony and Irene have gone to interview the family," Ginny replied, "And Romilda's going in to investigate the murder scene and Andrew's body. I decided to stay back in case you two need help."

"We're going to interview her," muttered Harry, gesturing towards Elizabeth, who was giving some basic details to Ron. "She reckons Daisy Joe is the murderer."

Ginny shrugged, looking a little disbelieving. "Hmmm… Well, Daisy's story before…"

"Oh, _sure_," Elizabeth gritted out noticing the look on Ginny's face. "Daisy seems so _honest_, doesn't she? Who could ever suspect her?"

Ginny frowned at her. "I'm sorry?"

Elizabeth sighed. "Daisy isn't as innocent as she looks. She and Andrew were having dinner together today, just before Andrew got killed."

"How do you know that?" Harry asked her.

"Andrew told me," replied Elizabeth. "I came here at around ten. Andrew had told me that he'd be alone, since his mum and Gran would go out. I Floo'd at nine, but when I was talking to him, he clearly wasn't alone because Daisy was chirping about in the background. I told him that I'd meet him at nine-thirty, but I had a few things to sort out before I left, so it was ten-thirty."

"It was already ten when you came?"

"Yeah. I rang the doorbell around a hundred times, but Andrew never came…" Elizabeth's eyes began to fill with tears, and swiping at them, she murmured an apology. "I'm sorry… so — I called Mike and Neil and they couldn't break down the door — even Alohomora and Reducto didn't work; so they had to break a window instead. We f-found him in his study…" Elizabeth swallowed, her eyes brimming with tears. "His Gran and mum came back at around the same time as we found him. We tried to contact your department immediately. We could only connect at midnight, though. Someone seemed to have tampered with the Floo connection of the house."

"But why do you think Daisy murdered Andrew? Just because she was here before the murder took place, it doesn't mean that she's responsible for this."

Elizabeth shook her head. "Daisy and Andrew had some secret between them… something that both of them refused to discuss with Neil, Mike or me. They actually bought phones to connect more conveniently, and have had a lot of private conversations lately. They seemed to be deeply involved in something. Both of them have been really stressed too. I—"

Elizabeth stopped midway and gazed at the door. Harry turned around too, to see a tearful Rebecca enter the house along with a young man. He had blonde hair and eyes slightly red for the moment. He was tall and well built. "Chris Stevens," he said, holding out his hand and sniffling slightly as he approached the Aurors. "Andrew was a good friend of mine. Becks and I came as soon as we heard… we would definitely like to help you out."

Harry glanced at Ginny. These teenagers had been so reluctant at first, and they were now ready to dump information on the Aurors. There could be only two reasons for this: either that half of them weren't involved, or that they knew what was happening, and were overcompensating by being extremely co-operative.

Rebecca wiped her eyes as fresh tears appeared in them. "I don't u-understand what's happening… e-everyone who's c-close to me is…" she hid her face in her hands, unable to control her sobs anymore. Chris put an arm around her, tears beginning to flood his own eyes.

"Hey Becks, it'll be fine. We're going to help these Aurors to find the culprit."

Rebecca looked at Elizabeth. "Did you call Daisy?"

Elizabeth nodded. "She's a bloody bitch. I'm sure she's the one who's behind all of this…"

Rebecca frowned. "Come on, Liz, you can't suspect Daisy!"

Harry and Ginny exchanged a glance again. Ron was about to say something, but Ginny gestured for him to stay shut. This was turning out to be an interesting conversation…

"Why not?" Elizabeth asked Rebecca. "I'm sure—"

"Hey—" interrupted Chris, before she could continue. "Will you people stop talking about Daisy? Please?"

Rebecca sighed and kept a hand on his shoulder, nodding. "Sorry…"

Chris smiled, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I… I hope she isn't coming here?"

"She might be," Elizabeth replied. "I called — oh, speak of the devil…" She got up from the couch and walked to the door, where Harry could see the silhouette of a person ascending the stairs. Ginny frowned and got up, as Harry and Ron got up too, following her to the door. They stopped there to see Elizabeth stare daggers at Daisy while she looked fearfully at the Aurors and then at Elizabeth.

"What's happened to Andrew?"

"Well, you should know, shouldn't you? After all, you were with him before it happened."

"I have no idea of what happened! I swear, I—"

A slapping sound reverberated through the air. Elizabeth had slapped Daisy hard. The latter placed a hand on her cheek, looking down. Ginny leapt forward, pulling Daisy out of the way before Elizabeth could hit her again. "Please calm down, we won't allow assault."

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS HAG IS CAPABLE OF!" screamed Elizabeth, her eyes beginning to brim with tears again. "SHE HAS KILLED ANDREW AND NOW SHE'S ACTING INNOCENT! SHE SHOULD BE—" Elizabeth walked to Daisy to hit her again, but Ginny pulled Daisy out of harm's way, scowling at Elizabeth.

"I think I just said something. You can't assault someone like this."

Elizabeth stopped, took a deep breath and stomped back to the house. Ginny turned to Daisy. "All right, there?"

Daisy looked up and nodded, blinking a fair few times. Harry couldn't help but notice the helplessness that seemed to brim over in her eyes and the fact that she was actually fighting back tears. If Elizabeth was right, Daisy was a fantastic actor. "Is- is Andrew really dead?"

Ginny nodded. "I'm sorry…"

"Can- can I go and s-see him?"

Ginny looked at Harry, willing him to answer the question. "Sure," said Harry. "You have to stay away from the — er, Andrew though. And I think we should be going there too."

Ginny nodded, as she followed Harry and Ron, accompanied by Daisy. They went into the house to see Elizabeth crying into the shoulder of one of the twins, who glared at Daisy as much as the other twin did. Rebecca was just watching from a couch and Chris was determinedly not looking at Daisy.

"Just a minute," said Daisy, and the Aurors stopped as she walked over to the twins. "Listen- Neil, Mike, I really… I don't know… I've not done anything…! Please… you believe me, don't you?"

The man who was comforting Elizabeth looked away.

Daisy just stared at him for a few minutes, before looking at the other twin. "Neil…?"

Neil looked down and Daisy seemed to understand. "Thanks a lot… and I thought I had true friends." She looked at the Aurors, drawing in deep breaths as she did so. "Please take me to Andrew."

"He was found in his study," supplied Ron quietly, as they reached the first landing.

The study was a small room consisting of a bookshelf and a small desk. The other Aurors were already looking around. Anthony gestured to the remains when he saw Harry, Ron and Ginny. "Come, have a look, we found a few things."

"Daisy wants to see him first," said Ginny.

"Oh," Anthony moved out of the way, so that Andrew's body got a clear view. Daisy gasped.

Andrew lay on a pool of blood in the corner spread eagled, struck on the stomach and covered in blood. His eyes were open and his expression seemed to be filled with desperation. And then Ginny's eyes travelled to a small chit beside the body. "What—?"

Anthony saw it, and immediately conjured up a pair of rubber gloves before bending over to pick it up. When he had opened the chit, his brows contracted in a frown. He stared at it for a whole minute, apparently unable to believe himself. Finally, he spoke up. "Harry, you ought to see this."

Harry made his way to the other man and looked at the chit without touching it.

iHarry Potter./i

"What is that?" Ron asked, making his way to them. He raised his eyebrows at what was written on the chit. "What, now?"

Harry didn't know what to make of it. What was his name doing here? How was this related to him in any way? Did this mean he couldn't work on the case anymore? He suddenly noticed Daisy, who was still standing at the doorway, her face pale. "Andrew wanted to become an Auror, didn't he?" he asked the teenager.

"Yeah. Yeah, he did," she replied. "He- he was really inspired by you," he said, gesturing towards Harry. "You were his role model."

On a normal day, Harry would have loved to hear this, but something was terribly wrong. What was his name doing here? How could it possibly be connected to the case? Unless… was it a threat from the culprit? Why would they just threaten just Harry then? He decided to wonder about this later. "Let's look around," he told the others. "Daisy, if you could—?"

Daisy turned to the door. "Yeah, thanks for letting me see him…" She walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Just as she did so, Anthony produced a tiny notepad from his pocket.

"What's that?" asked Ron.

"Wait, I'll explain everything to you," Anthony replied. He walked to the body, Ginny, Harry and Ron following him. Crouching down beside the body, Anthony explained. "See this." He pointed out to a faint trail of blood starting from a great pool beside the window and ending in the one that Andrew lay in.

"He has been dragged!" Ron exclaimed.

"No," Anthony corrected him, "he has dragged himself." He stood up, and the rest of the Aurors stood up with him. "Look, from what I've deduced, Andrew was stabbed right there by the window, and he forced himself to this table so that he could get this." He showed the notepad. "He obviously wanted to leave a message, but all that the poor guy could manage was—" Anthony produced an evidence bag with a piece of blood stained paper in it. Except that the stain wasn't random. It resembled just one alphabet.

_D_

Ginny's jaw dropped. "'D'… Daisy!"

"It's not necessarily a 'D'," Ron said, scrutinising the alphabet. "It could be a crude 'O', a 'P', a half- formed 'B' or even… an 'R'."

"You mean, for Rebecca?" Irene questioned.

"See, we really don't know if the culprit is amongst the people we know or not; and we cannot conveniently assume such a thing either. 'R', 'P', 'O' and 'D' could be anyone…"

"And how about this?" asked Harry, suddenly. He showed the Aurors the D and traced his finger on the curve. "This curve is too narrow… it could be that the blood just dripped in the wrong place and what Andrew actually wanted to write, was an 'I'?"

There was silence for just a moment, but it was broken with a small chuckle from Irene. "That's me!"

Harry ignored the joke. "What I'm saying is that Andrew might have wanted to write a message with an 'I am…' or something of that sort. But for that matter, there are thousands of people whose names start with 'I'."

Romilda snorted. "Did you get anything else, Anthony?"

"No," replied Anthony. "Let's keep looking, though. We might find something. Look in the shelves and amongst the bundles of parchment. Check his phone for any message that he might have left or received."

The other Aurors nodded and separated, as they began to comb the area for clues. As Harry got down on his knees to search below the table, the door of the study opened. Harry looked up to see Rebecca enter the room. "I- I wanted to see Andrew…"

"Yeah, sure," replied Anthony, going over to Rebecca along with Irene. "He's right there."

Harry saw Rebecca walk to Andrew's body. Just as she approached it, there was a clicking sound, and the room was plunged into pitch darkness.

There was a sigh from somewhere, and Irene's voice was heard. "What on earth? _Lumos._"

Nothing happened.

"Oh no… what's happening-?"

"Ow- ow- OUCH! Help!"

"Who—?"

"I-I think I fell over the r-remains," said Rebecca's scared voice. "Someone help me, please."

"Coming," Ron replied to her. "Harry, where are you?"

"Right here — OW!" Harry had hit his head against something.

"Where is everyone and what the hell is happening?"

Harry got to his feet, rubbing his head. "Okay, keep quiet everyone!"

Everybody stopped talking at once.

"Listen up, now. This seems to be Darkness Powder. Did any of you get it along?" Harry prayed for a 'yes', because if it wasn't an Auror…

"I did," replied a voice belonging to Irene. "I usually have it in my purse, and I think the packet is torn or something. I'm so sorry."

"Did you get something to get us through this, then?"

"No… the Hand of Glory is a dark object and the only other thing that helps is the Illuminator… I left that at home…"

"Lovely. We'll just have to wait for the lights to—" Harry stopped abruptly, as there was a bloodcurdling yell from downstairs.

"That was Chris!" exclaimed Rebecca from the other corner of the room.

Harry took a sharp breath. "We have to get there. Come on!"

"How do we go?!"

"Just- just… do anything! We've _got_ to get there!" Harry repeated himself. _Not another attack. Not another attack right below their noses._

Harry began to feel his way through the room, moving as fast as possible. The darkness was absolutely thick, and he couldn't see so much as the frame of his glasses. Stretching his arms outwards, he touched the furniture and moved on, when someone crashed onto him, making him knock onto the bookshelf. "Sorry, who-?"

"Harry, sorry! I lost my balance…"

It was Ginny. Harry got down to his knees and stretched out his hand, when someone else bumped onto him from the back. Harry jerked forwards, landing right next to Ginny. There was a flowery smell as she turned, and he could feel her warm breath on his neck. His stomach did a somersault, and he tried to ignore that. As he raised his hand, his fingers brushed against her soft hair, sending electric shocks right through him. Harry withdrew his hand immediately, and felt the floor, until he found her hand at last. "Come on."

He got up, pulling her and holding her hand tightly as he began to move again. Finally, when he touched the doorway and had got himself outside, the darkness dissolved. The bright lights of the corridor blinded Harry for a moment, and he shielded his eyes with his arm before looking around briefly. Everyone was outside the room now and Rebecca was covered in Andrew's blood. Ginny squeezed her hand free of his. "Come on, what are we waiting for?"

Realisation struck the Aurors, and the six of them raced down the stairs to the living room, tailed by Rebecca. It was as though everything was frozen at the lounge. Daisy stood facing Chris, pale and desperate, her wand aloft. Chris, on the other hand, was nursing a gaping wound on his forearm, dripping blood all over the floor. Elizabeth, Neil and Mike looked terrified.

Ginny walked forward. "What happened?"

It was Neil who replied. "Dunno… the room was suddenly dark and Chris yelled. When the lights came back…"

"Yeah, someone tried to attack me," Chris said grimly, healing his cut non-verbally. "They seemed to have missed their aim, though."

"What do you mean?" asked Ron, coming forward as Rebecca rushed over to Chris's side.

Chris didn't reply. Instead, his eyes widened as he noticed Rebecca. "What happened to you?"

Rebecca shivered. "I fell onto Andrew when the lights went out."

"It happened up there, too?"

"Yeah…"

"Oh, thank God," Chris turned to the Aurors. "I think the attacker aimed at my diaphragm region, because luckily for me, I was standing cross-armed when I was attacked."

"Did you hear anyone come in? The spell?"

"No," replied Chris. "Neither did I hear someone get in, nor did we hear someone get out. The spell was cast non-verbally too; and I only felt my forearm get slashed."

Ron turned to the others, and all of them shook their heads, indicating that they hadn't heard anything either.

"And why," asked Irene, looking at Daisy, "are you all positioned with your wand like that?"

"I just took it out and kept it ready when the lights went out… just in case, you know…"

"Are you sure that you didn't try to attack the invader?"

Daisy shook her head, looking a little lost. "I wasn't even aware of an invader until Chris yelled."

"Because," said Irene, her voice picking up a sarcastic tone, "I think you- OW!"

Ginny looked just in time to see Romilda stomp Irene on her foot discreetly; in an angle from which Daisy couldn't see. "Okay," said Ron, noticing Romilda and looking at the other Aurors. "I think we should go back up and see if something is different there, too. I don't think it was a torn packet of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder anymore…"

"I'll stay here," Ginny said, and as the other Aurors went back, she looked at Chris. "Are you sure you heard nothing suspicious? Not a sound?"

Chris shook his head. Elizabeth tut-tutted and spoke without keeping her voice down. "Yeah, that's because the person was already in. The bloody hag kills Andrew and attacks Chris on the same day. After all this, she also has the guts to stand there shamelessly…"

Daisy looked directly at Elizabeth. "I didn't do any of this, okay?"

"Yeah, you can say that."

"I have no hand in this!"

"Yeah, right. We believe you."

If a stare could kill, then Elizabeth would be dead. Daisy looked malicious, as she took a deep breath. "I don't need any of you to believe me. I can prove myself innocent on my own, OKAY?" She shouted out the last word, her voice shaking with every syllable.

"I believe you," said Chris quietly, and Daisy turned to the boy, her face as white as chalk and her lips twitching mildly. She staggered slightly and as Ginny was standing closest to her, she clutched on to the Auror's sleeve as her eyes rolled upwards and her knees gave away. Gasping as Daisy slid down to the floor, Ginny came down to her knees, supporting Daisy and taking the teenager's head on her shoulder. "Get her some water!"

Neil hesitated for a moment and ran into the kitchen, while Chris came to the duo and knelt before them. "Let her lie down and loosen her collar a bit."

Ginny let Daisy lie down a little hesitantly, and noticing her, Chris said, "Don't worry. I'm a Trainee at St. Mungo's. Loosen her shirt, now." Ginny nodded at Chris and loosened Daisy's shirt slightly. Chris rubbed Daisy's palm gently and lifted her, while he walked towards the sofa. As she felt Chris lift her, Daisy's eyes opened slowly and she looked at Chris for a second.

"Let me down."

Chris stopped walking, but he didn't let go of Daisy. "Daisy, you-"

"Let. Me. Down. I don't want you to touch me."

"I'm sorry…"

"We've been through this a hundred times, Chris, and I really can't forgive you. So let me down before I'm forced to hurt you." Neil was back with the water now and as Chris let Daisy sit on the sofa, Ginny took the glass from Neil and gave it to Daisy. The younger girl placed a trembling hand on her head, as she drank the water.

"How do you feel?" Ginny asked her.

"Odd," replied Daisy. She sighed. "I guess I should have had something for the mild headache that was troubling me in the evening-"

"Another headache?" asked Chris, his eyes widening. "Why don't you go and get a check-up at St. Mungo's?"

"- and now it's got really bad, plus I have this really odd sensation passing through me," continued Daisy, as if Chris hadn't spoken.

"Let's get you home," said Ginny, helping Daisy to her feet by lending a hand.

"No… I'm fine. I can go home by myself." Daisy wobbled a bit on the spot, and Ginny caught her arm again. Daisy seemed to have lost her friends to this case. What if she, Ginny, pretended to befriend her? Would she get a few facts out of this? Maybe Daisy was more involved than she knew. Maybe this would help. Hoping that Daisy wouldn't wonder too much about Aurors mingling with suspects, she spoke again.

"You shouldn't Apparate like this, you know."

"No, I'm just feeling a bit weird… but I can go home on my own."

Ginny frowned. "I'll drop you anyway."

"Okay then," said Daisy, nodding with a sigh. Ginny smiled and walked out of the house along with her. They reached the gate and Daisy looked around to make sure that there were no Muggles, before giving her arm to Ginny. The latter turned on the spot and the duo arrived outside Daisy's house within a minute. As Daisy opened the gate to the walk that led in, she looked at Ginny for a last time.

"We'll need to come back for some more questions," said Ginny. "We'll see you soon." Daisy nodded, and just as she's reached her door, Ginny turned on her heel again.

When Ginny Apparated back to Andrew's house and began to walk in, she saw a flash of silver behind a bush. Frowning, she walked to the area and looked behind the bush, to find no one.

Suddenly, there was another flash of silver, and Ginny just spotted a hooded figure vanish into the darkness outside the gate. Her heart hammering in her chest, Ginny ran to the gate and pushed it open.

Lighting her wand non-verbally, Ginny held it high, to throw light on the hooded figure retreating from her slowly, down the street. Ginny took off after the person and her quarry began to run too, taking a left turn into a dark alleyway. Ginny did not stop, as she pursued the person, running as fast as her legs could carry her. Suddenly, the other person stopped, turning to another narrow lane. Ginny ran for some time, her breath coming in sharp gasps, until at last, she reached a dead end. Smiling in victory, Ginny raised her wand and searched the shadows. But the smile vanished from her face as soon as it had come, for Ginny found no-one in the area.


	9. Together Forever or Maybe Not

Pauie is the very best! *huggles*

I'd like to thank the lovely Britons on the Beta Boards Being British thread, for all their help! *squishes*.

And in case you guys haven't noticed yet, Daisy and Chris are on the cover photo. :) I have my fingers crossed, and am hoping you guys will enjoy their story. They're a very important part of this fic, hehe. Pay close attention. ;)

Reviews and constructive crit = yaaaay! Flaming = Hissssss

:p

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**Chapter 8: Together Forever... or Maybe Not**

Ginny couldn't believe her eyes. How could this person have vanished like that? Of course, Apparition was a possibility and silent Apparitions were not uncommon either, but Ginny had an uncanny feeling that something was wrong. An intuition.

Raising her wand, Ginny looked around for a few minutes, before returning to Andrew's house to the rest of the Aurors. Elizabeth, Neil and Mike had left, while Chris and Rebecca were ready to go.

As Ginny approached the teenagers, Chris grimaced at her. "Hey — I know that you Aurors are going to put Daisy on your list of suspects… but believe me, she hasn't done this. Becks believes this, too. Daisy may look really tough to you, but we know her. She could never kill anyone. Trust us."

Ginny nodded. "Thank you. We'll definitely contact you for any information."

"All right then," said Chris. "Come on, Becks." He put an arm around Rebecca's shoulder and steered her out of the house while Ron approached Ginny.

"Where were you?"

"Oh," replied Ginny. "Daisy wasn't well. I dropped her home. But when I came, I saw this hooded person crouching beside one of the bushes. I followed them, but they… they just vanished!"

"You mean they Disapparated."

"No, they vanished into thin air!"

"Yeah, that is Disapparition. What's wrong with you, Ginny?"

"No, Ron, they—"

"Is anything the matter?" asked Harry, emerging beside Ron.

"Yeah," said Ron. "Ginny saw this hooded person and she reckons that they 'vanished into thin air.'"

Harry looked at Ginny, bewildered. "Of course, Ginny, they Disapparated."

Ginny was ready to go and bang her head on a pillar.

Daisy rang the doorbell of her house, to no answer. _Gosh_, she thought. _Ryan must be sleeping_. Daisy's parents were away. Her father had had to leave on an emergency trip abroad, and Daisy had convinced her mother to go along too, promising to take care of her fourteen-year-old brother in the meantime. _Fifteen_, Daisy reminded herself. It was two hours since Ryan had turned fifteen. But Daisy knew that her parents being abroad was a good thing, and hoped the Aurors wouldn't ask much about that.

As her headache reached a level where Daisy couldn't wait any longer, she rang the doorbell again and again continuously, for around ten times. Finally, Ryan opened the door, looking sleepy and confused. "Where were you?"

Daisy had no time to reply. She rushed into the house and sank into a sofa as darkness began to engulf her. Cold sweat broke on her forehead, trickling down discomfortingly. A hand felt itself on her shoulder. "What's the matter?"

Daisy forced her eyes open, to watch a reeling world. "I'm not feeling well… horrible headache."

"Had you gone to the Healer?"

Daisy shook her head.

"Then where have you been? I did hear you leave, but I thought you might have gone to have late night fun with your mates or something."

Daisy sat up as the dizziness subsided, and raised an eyebrow at Ryan. "Late night fun?"

"Yeah. Merlin knows what you and Andrew are up to these days, anyway."

Daisy sighed. It was painful to talk of Andrew. "I had been to Andrew's house."

"Why?"

"He… Andrew is d-dead."

Ryan gasped. "What? H-How? I mean… you met him just this evening, didn't you?"

"I-I think I know…" Daisy replied, her voice cracking. She swallowed. No, she couldn't tell anyone about this. "The Aurors say he was murdered." She reckoned she had an idea of what exactly had happened to Andrew, but she decided not to voice it. It was between her and Andrew at any rate. "And it seems to have happened just after I left."

"But then… just like that?"

"The Aurors are investigating the murder. This is the fifth person in my year at Hogwarts murdered this month."

There was a long silence. Apparently, Ryan didn't have anything to say. "I'm sorry," he mumbled finally. He slid an arm around his sister and let her lean onto his shoulder. She took a deep breath and blinked back tears, giving Ryan a feeling of uncertainty. Daisy was a strong person; he had rarely seen her break down, and he preferred not to see her like that. He rubbed her arm gently. "Shall I get you a potion?"

"Yeah, that will be good."

"Okay, I'll get it. Just give me a mo'." Ryan got up to go and find the medicine.

"Ryan?"

The boy looked around, concerned. "Yes?"

"Happy birthday."

Harry sighed as he dropped onto his bed, his leg throbbing horribly. It had been a hectic night. Lying down, he moved over as the mattress compressed a little under the weight of Parvati beside him. Groaning, he shut his eyes, just as Parvati shuffled beside him. "Is it hurting you?" she mumbled.

"Huh?"

"Your leg."

"No," Harry lied.

The lights flickered on, as Parvati sat up on the bed. "Let me get you something on that."

"I'm fine," replied Harry again.

Ignoring him, Parvati rolled up his pyjamas and rubbed her special pain-killing gel over the sensitive area. Harry bit his lip against the pain, which subsided in a minute as Parvati put the medicine away and lay down next to him. She lay that way for a while, and sighed, before moving up to him and kissing him gently on the lips. "I love you. I can't believe I almost lost you today."

Harry didn't reply to her. He could feel guilt rise up inside him, but he wasn't sure why — probably because of the row earlier that day, and also everything that had happened with Ginny in just one day. Well, the Ginny things were all accidents, he decided, but he had to prevent more of them from happening. Parvati for him and loved him a lot. He felt an obligation to reciprocate all that. Ginny was an unresolved past, and he had to get over it. That was all.

"Hermione?"

Hermione's eyes flew open abruptly at the sound and she let out a small yelp as she sat up on her bed. "What? Who?" she slurred, searching for her wand.

"Hey," said the voice, and Hermione realised that it was Ron. "It's me. Relax." He threw his arms around her comfortingly. "I was just a little hungry."

Hermione nodded through their embrace. Something about being in his arms threatened to bring tears to her eyes, and she realised that they hadn't hugged like this in a long time. As he let go of her, Hermione got off the bed, picking up her wand and pulled on a dressing gown as she walked to the kitchen along with him. He sat down at the table as she lit the stove with her wand. She let the water boil and began to collect the ingredients for a bowl of soup. In fifteen minutes, the soup was done, along with two pieces of toast. Hermione put the soup into a serving bowl and found a plate for the toast as she joined Ron at the table. "So, how were your investigations?"

"All right," mumbled Ron, concentrating on his soup.

"How much did you find out?"

"Not much…"

"Do you have proper suspects, then?"

Ron nodded, as Hermione tried not to get annoyed by his two-word answers.

"Oh…" Hermione realised that there was no point in continuing the conversation. Ron was clearly not interested in answering questions.

There was silence. "So," Hermione said, as she joined him at the table with his meal, "the others came in much earlier. Where have you been?"

He pulled the soup towards himself. "I was checking Harry's car. Ginny kept insisting that something was wrong."

"Did you have to do it at this hour?"

He gave her a cheeky grin. "It was my best excuse to stay away from you, you see."

"Sounds about right," Hermione muttered, not amused one bit.

Ron chuckled at the expression on her face. "Hermione, I was joking! Come on, you always take everything in the wrong sense…"

"Maybe because you never say anything in the right sense," said Hermione, standing up suddenly.

"Hey, hey," said Ron, standing up too. "What's the matter? Why are you getting upset?"

Hermione didn't reply, and turned towards the staircases as tears of anger began to flood her eyes. "I'm going to sleep," she sniffed. "If you want anything else just help yourself." She made her way to their bedroom and lay down, pulling the blankets around her and trying not to get more upset. Was she really just overreacting to something that was completely normal? Harry had said just the previous morning that Ron's attitude might have been due to the busy couple of weeks at work. Maybe she should just quit being cross and Ron and give him another chance?

The mattress beneath her compressed under someone's weight, and soon, Hermione felt Ron's warm arm curl around her waist. He pulled her to himself and she let him do that, shutting her eyes and hoping it wouldn't take her more such breakdowns for Ron to realise that there was something wrong. He put a hand on her shoulder and turned her around, so she was facing him. She couldn't make out his expression as he ran a thumb on her cheek. "Was it something I said?"

Hermione sighed. "No, Ron… I just…" she bit her lip, "Is there something that you're mad at me about?"

"What?" he asked, evidently shocked. "Why would I be mad at you, Hermione?"

"I just… these last few days—"

"Oh, no, sorry about that," Ron said to her, "You know how it is at work. It had nothing to do with you."

"You're sure, right?" Hermione asked him, leaning into his chest.

He didn't reply to this. Instead, she felt his finger on her chin, and he slowly got her to face him, as he wiggled down to kiss her gently. "I love you," he said simply, after they'd broken apart, giving Hermione her answer, and consequently helping her fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Daisy awoke to a very unsteady world. Groaning, she changed her position, hoping that her head would stop hurting. An ice pack lay at her neck, unsuccessfully trying to soothe her swollen nerves.

Daisy sighed. Headaches. They made her horribly vulnerable. Daisy had a problem of getting worked up and stressed very quickly, giving her horrible tension headaches often. There wasn't a single shocking piece of news that could sink in without giving Daisy her trademark headache. She often visited her Healer to sort this problem, but there seemed no way to stop this piece of trouble in her life.

Rolling over on her bed, Daisy reached out for her alarm clock and realised that it was seven in the morning— time to get dressed and leave for work. Of course, she wouldn't be going today. She couldn't even sit up properly— let alone run around and erase people's memories. And this headache wasn't going to subside quickly either, for Daisy was truly stressed to breaking point at the moment.

Well, the worst of all was that Andrew was dead. He was gone forever. Her wonderful friend… the person who knew her inside out… the only person apart from her parents and Ryan who could look at her placid face and make out her mood. Daisy took a deep breath as a lump began to form in her throat. No… she couldn't give in to this. She had promised him…

But then, hadn't he promised something too? Hadn't he said that he'd not let this happen? He'd been very determined when he had said so, and Andrew always spoke sense. He knew what he was saying. But he seemed to have failed for the first time in his life… and the last time in his life, too. What could Daisy do now? Andrew had comfortably (okay, maybe he did go through discomfort; getting stabbed couldn't be a pleasant sensation after all) left the world and shoved all the responsibilities into Daisy's hands. How could Daisy handle everything now? There was so much to do, and time was running out. With the technique of her body to handle stress being so _terribly_ lovely; she was sure that with all the stress there would barely be a week when she didn't have to be in bed because of a stupid headache.

There was a tap at her window. Daisy groaned as she sat up shakily and turned around to see a familiar owl tapping continuously at the window pane. "Hey, Venus," said Daisy, walking up to the window with all the strength she could muster. The room was going round and round, and Daisy already felt nauseous when she reached the window and opened it to let the bird in.

Venus belonged to Andrew. She was a beautiful owl, grey in colour and really clever. As she flew in, she perched on Daisy's shoulder, nipping her ear affectionately. Daisy smiled in spite of the nausea and stroked the bird shakily before she untied the scroll knotted to her leg. Just as Daisy freed Venus of the letter, the owl took off and Daisy realised with a pang that the letter was from Andrew. Andrew's last letter. A mixture of feelings rushed through her: she had to swallow a painful constriction in her throat, as her heart seemed to lift itself in pleasure. At the same time, the nausea overrode everything else and Daisy dropped the scroll and ran into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

She emerged minutes later, her hair dishevelled and her face covered with cold sweat. The world didn't stop going round, though, and she collapsed onto her bed, too tired to do anything. Then mustering some of the strength, she took another dose of her potion before lying down. Andrew's scroll still lay on the floor and she didn't have the strength to retrieve it. Why on earth was only her life so horrible…?

"Hey… you awake?" Ryan's voice floated from the doorway and Daisy opened her eyes.

"Yeah, come in," she replied.

He came in and sat down beside her on her bed. He took one look at her face, going pale as he did so. "Are you still sick?"

Daisy nodded, feeling slightly guilty. It was his birthday, and she was bedridden on his special day. Instead of enjoying himself, Ryan was now forced to take care of his sick sister and do all the housework. "Listen Ryan—" she began, but he interrupted her.

"It's all right, Daisy, you needn't be sorry, because seriously, I don't mind taking care of you or tidying up the house. You are more important to me than going out and having fun. Now, shall we go to the Healer?"

Daisy shook her head. "I'm fine…"

"Daisy…"

"I'm okay, Ryan, really. Just get me that letter lying on the floor, though. And yeah, your gift is in the first drawer of my wardrobe. I'm sorry that I can't give it to you personally…"

"It's all right, sis," Ryan went over and picked up the scroll. "It's from… Andrew?" He looked at her questioningly as he handed it to her.

She unfurled the scroll and read the letter, as Ryan sat on a stool, contemplating her expression. A small, sad smile appeared on her face, as she began to read.

_Daisy,_

I'm sure I'll be dead when you receive this, and I'm sorry that this had to happen. Please forgive me for this. You know that I wouldn't put you through all this on purpose…

Andrew explained everything to her. As she reached the end of the letter, she realised with a jolt that she was indeed lonely, now. She had huge things to handle, and had a very difficult path ahead of her.

_Oh, Andrew, I so wish that this wouldn't have happened_… Daisy threw open a drawer and put the scroll in, returning to her position and shutting her eyes after that. Tears filled her eyes. She took a deep breath to prevent herself from breaking into sobs right then and there. She felt Ryan's weight on her mattress and his hand on her forehead, as he began to stroke her comfortingly. "Want to tell me about it?"

Daisy opened her eyes and looked at him. "Ryan… I'm sorry…"

Ryan nodded. "Okay, I won't ask you then. Do you want to go to the backyard for a bit? You'll feel better."

"I can barely walk."

"What am I here for?"

Daisy nodded as Ryan helped her sit up. Instead of getting out of her bed, though, she threw her arms around him, burying her face into his shoulder. "Hey…" he said, patting her back and rocking her back and forth. "It's gonna be okay. I'm always here to talk, all right?"

"I'm tired, Ryan… bored of living like this," choked Daisy, her voice muffled. "I just wish it was me and not Andrew who was murdered…"

"Don't say that," replied Ryan, tightening his arms around her. "You've handled much more, Daisy. I believe in you. I know that whatever it is, you'll fix it smoothly and successfully."

Daisy looked up at her brother as he kissed her cheek and gave him a wan smile. "I love you too, li'l bro'."

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**Guest:** I do know what happens but I  
don't want to give away the story for the others...are you the same author by  
chance? Or are you just copying and pasting the story as it is?

_Response: I am the same person, yes. :) I am actually not just copy-pasting this either. There are many modifications from the original version. :)_


	10. Chris Stevens Confesses

**Author's Notes:**

Hello, again! Sorry for the delay — I was busy, and am hopelessly addicted to Supernatural. Here's chapter nine, though!

Once again, though it goes without saying, Pauie is the best beta in the whole wide world!

A huge hug and a load of gratitude towards inspirations and Inverarity on the forums, for all their nitpicks on my excerpts from this chapter :).

Reviews are love, but hate will be met with a scary version of me.

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**Chapter 9: Chris Stevens Confesses**

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

"Mmmm?" Harry groaned, turning over in his bed, and gasping as sharp pain shot through his leg. "Parvati?" His arm touched empty space beside him on the bed, and he opened his eyes with another groan.

The knocks repeated themselves.

"Harry?" sounded Ron's voice. "We need to discuss the case, mate, everyone is—"

"Let him get some sleep, Ron, his leg didn't feel good last night," interrupted Ginny's muffled voice. "Take your time, Harry," she said.

"Parvati said I could wake him up," said Ron's fading voice as Harry heard the footsteps grow faint while they walked away.

Harry yawned, sitting up on his bed. Parvati had obviously woken up much earlier, and was probably sorting through her work. Rubbing his eyes, Harry padded to the en-suite to shower and get dressed. He was tired, but he didn't want a delay in anything because of him.

***

"So, this is a clean murder."

"Yep," said Anthony. "No evidence of breaking and entering, no prints to be matched … all the tracks are covered. We're dealing with a thorough person here."

"So the killer was known to Andrew," said Romilda.

"Yeah, but we'd already established that. It's someone from that group of kids."

"How can you be so sure?" Irene asked Anthony. "I mean — couldn't this be someone else entirely? Maybe these kids found out something about someone?"

There was silence. Anthony nodded. "That's a very legit assumption." He turned to Ginny. "You're trying to get that Daisy girl to warm up to you, aren't you?"

"I'm trying," said Ginny. She was sitting beside Harry on the couch and their knees touched as she adjusted her trousers. "I'll try to get some stories from her — you know, about her friends. I'll try to find out if there was bitterness, if they were always friends… the whole Daisy-Chris and the Daisy-Rebecca deal… even a small clue could lead us to something big."

"You keep that up," replied Anthony. "The rest of us… we'll try with the others, though I'm not sure how successful everyone is going to get."

"Just look for an opening and plunge in," shrugged Ginny. "That's what I did."

"And we're forgetting something else," Ron spoke up. He gestured to Harry. "Your name on the chit?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. What was my name doing there? I hope this isn't getting personal…"

"I don't think so," shrugged Anthony. "Not unless you actually knew either of these people personally."

"Well, I didn't," said Harry. "I don't recognise any of them."

"Then we'll just have to dig in deeper, and find out what this is."

There was more silence. Harry felt Ginny's knee touch his again and he moved away slightly, leaning back on the cushion as he did so. "Has anyone realised," he began slowly, "that this isn't like a normal serial killing case?"

"What do you mean?" asked Anthony.

Harry turned to Ron. "Remember that other serial killing Walanger once dealt with? The one we wrote up the paperwork for?"

"Yeah," said Ron. "I remember." His eyes sparkled with understanding. "You're right. This is different." He turned to Anthony. "This doesn't have the regular markings of a serial killing."

"That it doesn't," agreed Anthony.

"What do you mean?" Romilda asked them. "I've never worked such a case before, so you'll haver to enlighten me…"

"There's always a definite pattern," said Ron to Romilda. "Every killer has a preferred method… and these people almost never leave the bodies like that. They're always well hidden."

"Well, this is an exception," shrugged Anthony.

"Or maybe he or she wanted the bodies to be found?" supplied Ginny.

"Why?"

"Well, for starters," said Ginny, "there's been no evidence available on any of the scenes of crime. No murder weapon, prints… I don't think the culprit is scared of us to actually hide the body. It's like a challenge."

There was silence. "Andrew doesn't fit the profile of the other murders, though," said Harry, breaking the quiet. He bit his lip. "I'm no psychologist, but I know that serial killers always have a preferred method of killing their victims. Here, last night, we saw that Andrew was struck on his abdomen."

"It injured his spleen," said Anthony, nodding. "Forensics sent the autopsy report."

"Yeah," replied Harry. "But before this, the victims were always struck on their backs."

That doesn't say anything," said Anthony. "It's still the same method of killing — stab injuries."

"No, but it does seem like the killer was afraid of showing themselves on all the other cases, as they never seem to have approached the victims up front. This is different. It's as though the murderer wanted Andrew to know who they were."

"Hmm…" Anthony was looking at the forensics report again. "I realise I didn't notice something, though."

"What?"

Anthony looked up at the others. "There are hesitation cuts around the main stab. That makes this one of two possibilities: either that the murderer knew Andrew very well, and possibly even cared for him, or that Andrew killed himself. And these weren't found on any of the other victims. So in all possibility, it's someone who was closest to Andrew amongst everyone else, or a suicide, which is looking less and less likely."

"How's your leg?"

"Much better, thanks," said Harry, adjusting his tie and turning to smile at Parvati.

"So, more interviews today, then?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "Let's see what comes of it." He picked up his briefcase and leaned over to peck Parvati lightly on her lips.

"Harry? Oh – oh, sorry."

Harry turned around just in time to see Ginny make her way out of the room, red on her face. He bit his lip, and then turned towards Parvati again. "See you."

She smiled. "Bye, Harry."

"Hermione, have you seen my file?"

"I put it in your wardrobe, Ron. You had left it on the table last night."

Hermione rocked a sleepy Rose in her arms as Ron opened his wardrobe and began to look for the file. After last night, Hermione had been feeling oddly light; it was as though a huge worry had been lifted off her shoulders. Ron still loved her. He still cared for her, and he wasn't tired of her.

"I can't find it," said Ron in a grumpy voice. He turned to Hermione and crossed his arms. "Why did you move it from where it was?"

"Because it was just lying around, and—"

"Well, it's not here."

"Let me look for it."

"No, I'm getting late. Let it be. I'll manage," sighed Ron, picking up his briefcase, and heading up to the door. "It may mean a few more hours at night, but—"

"Oh, for the love of Merlin, Ron," Hermione had put Rose down, and was halfway to the wardrobe, but her husband had already vanished from the doorway. She sighed, and pulled out one or two of his robes, to find the file sitting there. _"Really,"_ she told herself, and picked up Rose before heading to the living room to hand over the file. Ron was waiting for the others.

"Here," said Hermione, handing him the folder.

He didn't take it. "Where was it?"

"Right where I said it would be. You just didn't look hard enough, Ron."

He sighed and opened his briefcase, and something about his expression just made Hermione want to fling the file at his face.

Ginny tried to ignore the twang of pain clawing at her insides as she left Harry's room and took the stairs. Sometimes, it was difficult to digest that Harry was not just with someone in a casual relationship — he was married — _actually_ married. Walking to the living room, she saw Ron with Hermione. They seemed to be having an argument.

"Ron, stop being unreasonable," said Hermione. "I put it in your wardrobe because you had left it lying around."

"But you didn't have to do that!"

"Fine. I won't do it again. I'm sorry I helped you. Now can we stop fighting? I need to get Rose and Hugo ready for the crèche."

Ron's eyes widened. "You put Rose and Hugo in a _crèche_?"

"How else am I supposed to work in the evenings?"

"But you could have said… I'm ready to take care of them!"

"Okay, come at six in the evening today—"

"That's not possible."

"Great, I'll just keep them in a playpen next to all my toxic potions, then."

Ron sighed. "Okay, then. What is Parvati doing?"

"Harry is taking care of Naina."

"What?"

"Yes," said Hermione, upset at Ron now. "He's agreed to come back early and look after Naina."

Ginny sighed and decided to announce herself before this escalated. "Where are the others?" she asked, walking to the couple, and Hermione turned towards her, he expression changing from anger to a wan smile.

"They should just be coming, I think."

"Well, Harry's ready," said Ginny, trying not to flinch at the mental image of him kissing his wife. "I'm not sure what's taking him time, though."

There was silence. Hermione looked at Ron, then Ginny. She bit her lip. "I… I think I should go get the kids ready." Her voice caught in her throat, and Ginny was surprised to see tears in her eyes.

"What happened?!" she asked, wondering why Hermione was so upset. The fight right now hadn't seemed all that big.

Ron was staring at his wife helplessly, as Hermione shook her head. "I…" not completing the sentence, she left the room with Rose in her arms.

Ginny glared briefly at her brother before following her sister-in-law to her bedroom. Hermione was wiping her eyes as she changed Rose's nappy, and Ginny went ahead and squeezed her shoulder. "Is anything wrong?"

"No," sniffed the other woman. "It's fine, Ginny, you can go on."

"Tell me, Hermione," said Ginny, moving to the other side of Rose's cot. "If I can talk to Ron…"

"You can't," said Hermione, her voice breaking again, as another tear rolled down her cheek. "I… just leave this alone."

"He's my brother, and I'll give him a good kick up his arse if it's necessary," said Ginny. "You can tell me."

Hermione looked up at Ginny and sighed, before putting Rose in the cot and settling herself on the bed. "I think Ron is tired of me."

"What?"

"He is so different these days… he's snapped at me a lot lately. He also seems so distant, sometimes… it's been around a month now, Ginny, I've noticed."

"Have you tried speaking to him?" asked Ginny.

"He says it's all the work. He said that last night… and it's back to square-one now."

Ginny sighed. "Then it's probably just that. It's just a phase, Hermione… maybe it's all the pressure. We're always on a case, no matter what. Maybe he wants to spend time with you, and is frustrated because he can't."

Hermione nodded and took a deep breath. "And… and I'm scared, Ginny."

"For what?"

"I – I think Ron might be having an affair," said Hermione in a small voice, finally letting the ugly fear that had been sitting in her mind for weeks. The loss of interest, the late nights… nothing else seemed to explain it.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that?"

"I don't know, Ginny, I just—"

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Ginny couldn't help but laugh. "Ron cannot have a fling when you're there for him! He loves you!"

"Ginny," said Hermione, fresh tears filling her eyes. "He seems to be _bored_ of living with me."

"Hey," Ginny said, "don't say that, all right? He isn't the type to leave you and go after other women, Hermione. He's a tactless arse, but he's loyal. He cares for you. Ron loves you like crazy, to even think of leaving you."

Hermione sniffled. "I don't know, Ginny, and I hope my suspicions are false."

***

_"Now that our Green Dragons have grown into seedlings, we will be adding manure to nourish them. They'll be fully grown in a week, and then we can juice the leaves."_

Professor Neville Longbottom returned to tending the other plants in Greenhouse Four, as the seventh-years began to work on their class assignment. The Ravenclaws were with the Gryffindors today, which meant that Daisy, Andrew and Liz were working together.

Daisy, along with her friends, grabbed a sack of dried dragon dung and dragged it to their spot, where a box of chalk waited, ready to be reduced to powder. Green Dragons were strange plants, named so because the juice of their leaves contained properties similar to dragon blood.

Liz placed a pot on the table, as Andrew tore open the sack of dung and put some into the pot using a shovel. Daisy pointed her wand at the chalk. _"Reducto."_  
_  
The white blocks were instantly reduced to powder, and as Daisy scooped some to throw it into the pot, Liz giggled._

"What?" asked Daisy, craning her neck to look at whatever Liz found to be amusing. What she saw was a very ridiculous sight. For there stood Chris Stevens, mangling the chalk blocks with a large stone in his hand. He wore a murderous expression, his hair almost falling into his eyes. Beside him, Rebecca Palmer had raised an eyebrow incredulously and Belinda Spencer was shaking her head.

"Oh… Merlin… he… is… so… cute," gasped Liz, between giggles. Daisy looked at her, disgusted.

"Not you too, Liz. Not for that brainless git, at least."

Liz giggled some more. "I know why you're saying that… you like him!"

"No!" Daisy felt a blush creep up her cheeks.

"You're blushing, Daisy," said Liz, stifling her giggles with great difficulty.

"Of course I'm not!" Daisy lied.

"Aw… have a look at that! You look like a strawberry!"

Daisy looked at Andrew. "Say something!"

Andrew just chuckled. "You are blushing, actually."

"No! It's a trick of the light! How can I blush without realising it?"

Liz laughed even more. "You like him, don't you?"

"No, no, no!"

"Tell me the truth."

"Okay," said Daisy, flaring up. "Stevens is definitely going to become an executioner once he's out of Hogwarts. Is that true enough?" Then frowning, she returned to her work.

Daisy smiled as the happy memory came flooding into her mind. Those days had been so great… so peaceful… devoid of worries. Andrew and Liz had started dating around a month after that particular incident. Daisy remembered the countless times she had helped Andrew sneak out of the Ravenclaw Tower to meet Liz after curfew — Daisy had been the Head Girl, with Chris as the Head Boy.

Liz never really had any feelings for Chris; she just thought that he was cute. But Daisy's feelings for Chris were something she didn't want to think about. She couldn't believe what she had felt for him in those days, but now, the feeling had vanished. Daisy only hated Chris now. She hated him more than anyone else.

Sighing, Daisy sat up on her bed. It was already ten. She could do some of her household chores. Her head felt better, though it still throbbed. At least she wasn't feeling jittery anymore. She pulled open the drawer on her bedside table and read Andrew's letter again, sadness and pain weighing her heart. But at the same time, she knew that she'd have to do it. She'd have to take on the responsibility, and strengthen herself to handle it.

_"Here's to one of the best friendships of my life; here's to some of the best moments of my life and here's to you, one of my best friends ever."_ This was what Andrew had said yesterday, when they had had dinner together. Daisy still remembered his words vividly, as he had toasted her in front of the whole restaurant.

_Yes Andrew, I'll never forget what we've shared. I'll never forget what it was like to have a friend who I could fall back upon; a friend who I could trust with my eyes shut._

Daisy had a quick shower and put on her favourite trousers and a yellow t-shirt. When she was sad, she always wore bright colours to tune her mind to cheer up. This usually worked. Daisy would find her mood better at the end of the day. But right now, this was just a futile attempt. 'Sad' wasn't a word to even scratch the surface of any of the emotions that were running through her mind. This was grief. This was pain so intense, it was worse than being physical. No Cruciatus Curse could probably compare to it. It ripped through Daisy's veins, making her feel sick to her stomach, and making her head spin. The only reason her eyes were still dry was that it had been an honest request from Andrew before he died. However, Daisy couldn't see how he expected her, or any of the people who loved him to not feel the agony.

As she dried her hair with a towel, Daisy opened her wardrobe and retrieved Ryan's gift from the first drawer. Keeping the package on her bed, she went over to shut the drawer when she noticed a folder inside it. Smiling as she realised what it was, Daisy kept the folder on her bed and walked out of the room along with the package.

Ryan was in the kitchen. He extracted the marmalade and butter from a shelf and kept them on the table along with a stack of toast. He removed two more plates from a cabinet as Daisy walked to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

He turned around to see her smile at him. "How are you feeling now?"

"Better," Daisy replied. "You forgot to take your gift, though."

Ryan smiled and took the package from her. He then tore open the wrappings to reveal a brand new camera. His face broke into a wide smile. "I've always wanted one! Thanks!"

Daisy grinned and gave him a small hug. "I thought you might quite like to capture your best moments and keep them with you forever. I got this at a Wizarding shop, so whatever you snap with it turns into a moving photograph."

"Thanks, Daisy, thank you so much," said Ryan once again, as the duo sat at the table. They ate in relative silence, finishing off the toast in a few minutes. They then washed their dishes together and Daisy returned to her room. Ryan remained at the dining table with an essay for school.

As she sat on the bed, Daisy took the folder that she had placed there before breakfast and opened it, smiling at the topmost photo. It was one of the best moments… one of the funniest times of her life. But things had changed and Daisy had changed after that.

_"Oh, what an arse I am!" Andrew was on his knees with his hands up in the air, at the centre of the Ravenclaw common room._

"Oh, what an arse I am!" he repeated, bending forward and touching his nose to the ground. Another round of giggles and sniggers erupted from the onlookers who circled him.

"Say 'cheese'!" giggled Daisy, as she snapped a photograph of Andrew. Andrew looked back at her and showed his pearly whites.

"Oh, what an arse I am!" He then returned to his place beside Daisy and looked around. "Max, truth or dare?" he asked, grinning at a tall, dark boy.

"Um… dare," said Max, smiling eagerly.

"All right," replied Andrew, looking around for a suitable thing to say. He cast his eyes at Rebecca, who was studying in a corner and smiled naughtily. "Max, I dare you to go and hug Rebecca."

The doorbell rang, bringing Daisy out of her reverie. As she heard Ryan attend to it, she rushed down the stairs to check on who it was. She sighed as she saw two of the Aurors enter the house. It was Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. Another interview… oh no.

***

"So, how long have you been friends with Andrew?"

"Since my first year," Daisy said promptly. "So that makes it eight years."

"You knew him very well?"

"Yes," replied Daisy. "We were really good friends." _Best friends, in fact._

"And what about the dinner with him last night? Why did he choose you over Elizabeth?"

"He didn't choose me over Elizabeth…" Daisy said, looking at Harry. "I never dine alone on Wednesdays… personal reasons…"

There was silence, as Ginny wrote down everything that Daisy had said. She looked up and smiled warmly at Daisy. "Just routine interrogations, don't worry."

Daisy sighed. "You're lying. I'm a suspect, right?"

The Aurors didn't reply. Harry shook his head lightly. "We need your account of what happened last night. When did you leave Andrew?"

"Just after Liz called," Daisy said, truthfully.

Harry looked up from his notes again. "What happened when the lights went off?"

"I – I didn't attack Chris."

There was silence again. Ginny sighed. "Harry, could – could I just talk to her alone for two minutes?"

Harry nodded, giving her a meaningful look. "All right. I'll wait outside." He walked out of the room shutting the door behind him. As long as Ginny got something out of Daisy, he wasn't worried about not being inside the room.

As Harry left the room, Daisy took a third dose of her potion. She wondered why Ginny Weasley was being so nice to her. One reason could be that the Aurors really suspected her. Ginny was probably trying to be more like a friend to get all the information. Daisy swallowed the sweet potion. She'd have to be careful with these people and beware of everything they asked or said.

"How are you feeling today?" asked Ginny, eyeing the medicine.

"Better," Daisy replied. "My head is still aching, though. And as much as the two of you try to convince me otherwise, I know that you suspect me." She wanted this to be straight.

"Daisy—"

"It's really easy, isn't it?" Daisy said, interrupting Ginny. "Just because I had a wand in my hand, it had to be me. And of course, Liz would suspect me, too."

"Daisy," said Ginny again. "I believe you."

_Liar_. Daisy looked at Ginny for a moment. "Really?" She raised an eyebrow. "How come?" _Gotcha!_

"I just know that it couldn't be you," said Ginny, and Daisy wanted to laugh at the terrible lie. "I'm going to help you fight this. I can convince Harry and Ron, but the rest… well, I can't promise."

Daisy looked at the other woman for a long time. _Time to play along._ "Thank you so much, Ms Weasley—"

"Call me Ginny."

"Okay… Ginny. Thank you. I—" Her hand knocked over the folder of pictures as she shifted a bit, and a photo fell out of it. As Ginny bent over to pick it up, Daisy noticed that it was the one in which Max had gone ahead and hugged Rebecca.

"Rebecca?" Ginny asked, amused. "You used to friends, right? What is this photo about?"

_Oh, want to know what happened? Smooth. _Daisy shook away her thoughts as she let out a wistful chuckle, involuntary warmth spreading across her face as she remembered that particular day. "Oh, those were spectacular moments, and I'm not going to forget that day. We had this game of Truth or Dare in our seventh year and this boy — Max took a dare to hug Rebecca. And, well…"

_"No!" exclaimed Max, with a horrified. "She'll kill me if I hug her!"_

"Just do it, Max," Chris said, from the other side of the room. "If she gets too angry, I'll handle her."

Rebecca probably hadn't heard this, because she was still buried in her books. Max stood up nervously and walked over to her. "Uh, Rebecca?"

She looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "Yes? I can't join you guys, sorry. I have to read this book today."

"Yeah… but… y-you know, I feel like a-a brother for you, and, um… you're great, sis!" Max bent over and hugged Rebecca swiftly.

"SQUISHY!" Daisy sang from behind, as Rebecca looked around, confused.

"Shut up!" said Max. He looked at Rebecca. "Sorry, it was a dare. But you're still like a sister to me."

Rebecca frowned and raised her eyebrow. "I'll not say anything this time, but I didn't like that at all. I don't want you people to include me in your dirty—"

"It wasn't dirty!" exclaimed Max, as he turned red. "We – we didn't mean anything bad…"

"But you're notincluding me in any of this nonsense. Do you understand that?I have a lot of work to do."

Max turned redder, if possible. "I'm very, very sorry…"

Rebecca took a deep breath, calming herself. "I forgive you, Max, but just don't do it again."

Max nodded as he walked away, still red on the face. Chris grinned. "Look at that! Isn't it—"

"Shut your trap, Chris, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"So… um… yeah. Who is your latest crush and for how long have you liked her?"

The grin vanished and Chris's ears were soon a deep pink. "I- I-" he sputtered hopelessly, looking around for help.

"Well go on, Stevens, I'd like to know who the poor lass is," said Daisy, smirking.

Chris looked directly at her. "Uh… you. And I've liked you since-s-s-since…" his voice was low as he continued, "…well, a while. I've liked you for a while."

Daisy's smirk disappeared as soon as it had come, as she began to blush, too. She looked at Andrew, as though scared of what she had just heard and turned her gaze back at Chris. "What did you just say?"

Chris squirmed and looked at the floor as he spoke. "I… I have had a crush on you since our third year… right since that Transfiguration class where you helped me, and I, um…Daisy… I…" unable to continue, he hid his face in his hands.

All the occupants of the room were now staring at Daisy, probably awaiting her reply. Andrew had a hand on her shoulder and even Rebecca had looked up from her book to see what was going on. Suddenly, Daisy couldn't breathe any longer. She had to get out of the room; she had to go out. Hopelessly, she checked her watch. It was still half-an-hour to curfew, but she couldn't stand facing anyone in the room either. She stood up abruptly. "Um… I've gotta go… Head duties…"

And she could have sworn that this was the fastest she had ever run in her life, as she raced out the door of the common room and down the spiralling steps, hearing Andrew's footsteps follow her.

"I didn't sleep for the night… I even had to make sure that I didn't run into Chris when he began his patrol," sighed Daisy. Ginny wanted stories? She'd get stories. True stories too. Daisy wouldn't lie, and she was sure there was nothing to extract from this. But this certainly wouldn't end here. Ginny would come back and pretend to be a closer friend, and try to get more.

"Chris was … he was the most popular fellow in school," Daisy continued truthfully. "Girls were absolutely crazy about him. I, on the other hand, never paid him attention. He seemed too ordinary to me, and he hit on too many girls anyway. But finally and very ironically, it turned out that he liked me. My friends always teased me with him before he even confessed and I told them very clearly that I had absolutely no feelings for him. But I guess I was lying to everyone including myself, because I discovered my true feelings for him on the night that he confessed."

Ginny smiled. "You mean you were fond of him, too? So what happened after that?"

"I—" Daisy began, but there was a sharp knock on the door. Thank Merlin for that, or she'd run out of stories to tell soon. One story at a time.

"Can I come in now?" asked Harry's voice, sounding exasperated.

Ginny snorted. "Merlin, I forgot! Oh, come in, Harry!"

Harry opened the door and walked in, looking harassed, as Ginny gave him an apologetic look. But between that, Daisy couldn't help but notice the tiny nod from Ginny, and the slightly happy sparkle in Harry's eyes. Well, she, Daisy was right about her own suspicions here. And she was caught bang in the middle of this case. Life was possibly just about to become hell, if it wasn't hell-like already.


	11. Uh-Oh

**Author's Notes:**

Hello! Apologies for the lateness (and any errors that you find in this chapter). I've been busy, disillusioned and addicted to Supernatural. Plus this chapter is a giant one. I will try to update asap. I promise. :)

Pauie is the most wonderful Beta and it is with her help that you're getting to read this chapter. The idea of the train scene was hers!

I would also like to thank the wonderful Britons of MNFF again, because they've helped me a lot with food and restaurants in London. :)

Many thanks to padfoot_returns (Riham) for the sweet chapter tiltle.

Oh, and twenty-seventh of September is Pauie's birthday. I would like to dedicate my chapter to Pauie, who is a wonderful Beta and a lovely sis, too!

Reviews will be loved. Hate will be salted and burned. Constructive criticism is always good. :)

* * *

**Chapter 10: Uh-Oh**

August gave way to September, which slipped away rapidly, reaching its last week in what seemed like a jiffy. The sky became sorrowful again as rain began to lash London. There was greenery everywhere, and the dry, hot days were replaced by pleasant ones.

The Aurors had a definite suspect: Daisy. They didn't rule out any of the others that they had met on the day of the murder either, because any one of them could also be easily involved. Elizabeth's continuous accusations could be a way of shifting suspicion from herself. The twins were quick to shift their suspicions, too, and Chris could have hurt himself, after all. Rebecca was being suspiciously strange with her moods.

The murderer had done a very clever job, though. They had blocked Andrew's Floo connection and they seemed to have locked his door with powerful enchantments and made it unbreakable, so that Andrew would be truly dead before anyone could save him. Harry, however had no doubt that these serial killings had a motive that wasn't very pleasant. There was definitely something very sinister hidden below all the murders.

At home, Naina and Rose had both begun to walk; a phenomenon which was welcomed with great cheer and marvel. It became a daily routine for the tired Aurors to just ask the girls to walk from the sofa to the television set, from the dining table to the kitchen and so on. They walked as though someone had just fed them five bottles of Firewhiskey, but it was wonderful, nonetheless.

In the meantime, Ginny managed to win over Daisy's trust. Ryan, Daisy's brother had left for Hogwarts, making the teenager lonelier, and Ginny took that to her advantage, because this seemed like the only way.

After scouring everything, the Aurors were certain that there was no evidence for them to work on, which left them at a seeming dead-end. They now went to their Headquarters daily, only to sort out paperwork pertaining to the killings. Ron and Irene visited Rebecca and Chris, too, and though the arrangement was not as good as Ginny and Daisy's, they managed to win a small amount of the teenagers' trusts.

From what Ron and Irene found out, Rebecca and Chris had been in Ravenclaw, along with Belinda, Andrew and Daisy. The five Ravenclaws had got along well: that was until Daisy broke her friendship with Rebecca after an incident. Rebecca still considered Daisy a friend, anyway. Charlotte had also lived close to Rebecca and they had known each other very well.

On the other hand, Elizabeth had been a Gryffindor, while the twins were in Hufflepuff. Charlotte Seam, another victim, was in Hufflepuff too. The two other victims were Alison Henry and Jennifer Daniels.

Rebecca, Belinda, Chris, Jennifer, Alison and another boy called Shaun had been very close friends at Hogwarts. Similarly, Daisy, Andrew, Elizabeth, Neil, Mike, Charlotte and another Hufflepuff called Parineeta had been another group of friends. It was all very confusing, how their friend groups were interwoven, but after much note taking, the Aurors could remember who was whose friend.

Ron and Hermione seemed to be going through a rough spot in their marriage. They argued over the silliest of things, much like the times at Hogwarts. Each time, they would have a taunting match, which almost always ended with a tearful Hermione and an irritated Ron. This made Ron try and escape being at home even more, which meant that he was spending a lot of time at work, where his mind seemed to calm down.

The worst of all was that Ron was so engrossed with his work that he forgot about Hermione's birthday, but even when he remembered in the evening at last, he couldn't seem to find time even to get her a flower on that day. Hermione refused to talk to him for an entire week.

"Where have you been?" asked Hermione, as Ron entered the house on what would proceed to be a terrible night. "It's half-past eleven already, and the others came in at eight."

"Oh, have you decided to talk to me, then? Well, I was working," Ron replied, seating himself at the dining table. "I'm working on the case, if you haven't noticed."

"Yes, yes," muttered Hermione. "Of course."

"What's for food?" Ron asked, ignoring Hermione's mutterings.

"Salad and stew," said Hermione, spooning salad into a plate and ladling cold stew for Ron. He swallowed a spoonful of stew, and almost spat it out.

"It's gone cold."

"You must come home on time if you want it to be warm, then," snapped Hermione.

"Couldn't you wait for me?"

Hermione looked at him and frowned. "What do you think of yourself, Ron? First of all, you come late. Then, you want all of us to wait for you to come home and then serve food so that you can have it warm. You're happily enjoying outside, and here you're asking us to starve ourselves and wait for your grand arrival."

"I'm not _enjoying_, Hermione, it's work!"

"And do these teenagers have so much of information inside them that even after interrogating her for about two months, you have not acquired it all?"

"Well, it's not easy to get them to talk."

"Yes, Ron, of course, you must take as much time as you can, shouldn't you? How will you spend time with _her_ otherwise?"

Ron raised an eyebrow. "_Who_?"

"Don't talk as though you don't know."

"I really don't."

Hermione proceeded to leave for their room. "Well, then, I'm not as big a fool as you think."

***

Ginny made her way to Harry's room on the morning of September the twenty-seventh, carrying a few files in her hands. She had just wished Ron and Hermione a happy marriage anniversary, and wished to discuss an idea that she had with Harry.

The door to Harry's room was open, and Parvati was fixing her hair at the dressing table, while Harry was carefully folding his robes so that he could carry them to the Ministry to put on over his Muggle clothes. He momentarily looked up and noticed the other Auror. "Ready?"

Ginny nodded. "Yeah. Today's going to be boring, though. We're to make files for all the suspects and complete the information in those."

Harry sighed. "I just wish we could get more leads. We're doing nothing except paperwork at the moment, and that isn't right."

Ginny sighed. "Just an alphabet written in a most confusing way to be going on with… this is proving to be difficult. The murderer is too clever."

Harry shrugged and began to put on his tie. He did one turn and waved his wand, but had soon converted it into a confusing tangle. Ginny giggled as she saw him tackle this. "You can't even do your tie properly?"

Harry went red. "Of course I can do it… I did it at Hogwarts all the time didn't I? The spell just went wrong, I guess."

Parvati smiled at him from the dressing table. "Just give me a minute, Harry, I'll disentangle that." She got up and went to him. Just as she got hold of the tie, Naina called from her cradle.

"Mummy?"

"Coming, sweetie," said Parvati. She looked at Ginny. "Could you get this right for him? Naina will most probably need her formula now and she'll throw a tantrum if I don't oblige. Someone—" Parvati raised an eyebrow at Harry, "—has spoiled her."

"Hey!" said Harry, defensively. "I haven't spoiled my daughter!"

"Kidding," Parvati replied calmly. "No, actually, I don't want to keep her hungry. So… Ginny?"

"Sure," said Ginny, as she stepped forward, and began to right Harry's tie. Parvati exited the room with a very groggy Naina, who was clutching her mother's hand as she toddled on.

Harry stood still, as Ginny's small hands worked on his tie. Her brown eyes were concentrated on his collar area, while she carefully straightened the knots. She made sure that his collar was not standing awkwardly, as she moved her fingers around the edges, smoothening them. Just then, a strand of her hair fell into her eye. She jerked her head, trying to get it away. It flew back and landed on her eye again.

Harry chuckled as he reached out a hand and tucked the strand behind Ginny's ear. "Why did you have to make your own life difficult by doing such things to your hair?"

She didn't reply. The touch of his hand on her skin had knocked all the sense out of her. She looked into his eyes and saw the bewilderment in them. Obviously, he had no idea of what had passed through her when he had done that to her hair. Realising what she was doing, Ginny felt a blush creep up her cheeks, and looked down, taking deep breaths. She needed to control herself. She decided to lure him into a better discussion. "Have you greeted Ron and Hermione yet?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, but I think they aren't talking to each other again."

"Well, Ron came home late last night… again."

"I wish he would stop upsetting her so much. I tried speaking to him, but he doesn't seem to understand."

Ginny sighed. "Exactly. Ron does not understand. I can't believe him, seriously. He's being such a prat! Poor Hermione is constantly on the verge of tears these days… Anyway, I'm planning to send them on a date today. I need your help."

"Yes, tell me."

"Send Ron to that restaurant called Scoffers at around eight in the evening. It's in Battersea."

"Done," replied Harry smiling. "Let's leave, then. Underground again, today?"

Ginny nodded. "I think that's safer. The car can be easily tampered with."

Harry shrugged. "Come on."

They caught a train to the Ministry and as it rattled on, Ginny leaned onto the window and shut her eyes. Harry glanced up at her face, at her red hair flying merrily with the train's speed, and smiled to himself.

The train kept jerking to a halt at various stations and rattled on to the next. Harry, who was lost in his thoughts, only jerked back to reality when Ginny opened her eyes with a startled expression. "I fell asleep!" she exclaimed, rubbing her eyes. "But where are we? Shouldn't we have reached our station by now? What have you been doing?"

"Um…" Harry had no idea of which stop they were heading towards. A cool female voice which Harry hadn't heard until now announced the next station, though, and to his horror, Harry realised that they were two stations past their destination.

Ginny gave Harry an exasperated look. "I never knew that you, of all people, day-dreamed, Harry, but you've just proved it. Come on…" She grasped his hand and pulled him to the door, as the train halted again. They got off and bought two more tickets, to travel back to the Ministry, before going to the next platform and getting into the train that arrived.

***

Ron flattened his hair and adjusted his collar, as he sat upon a cushiony chair at _Scoffers_. Hermione would arrive at any moment, and he didn't want to upset her today. She was already prone to getting upset at his smallest remark. Also, he couldn't make out what she'd said to him the other day. Who did she mean by 'her'? Did she seriously think that Ron was having an affair?

Anyway, today was their marriage anniversary and Ron had decided that he'd not give Hermione a chance to be upset. He definitely loved her, and this fact had to be reinforced into her. Smiling, Ron removed a small box from his pocket. It had the pair of pearl earrings that Hermione had craved for so long. These earrings would help him reunite with his love.

The door to the restaurant opened with a soft clink and Ron looked up, expecting Hermione. He was surprised, however, to see Rebecca walk in "Hi!" she greeted, spotting Ron and coming over to him.

Ron smiled. "Hey!"

"Waiting for your wife?" Rebecca asked the Auror.

"Yep, you?"

"Friendly dinner with Chris." She pointed out to Chris on another table and he waved at Ron. She glanced at Chris and lowered her voice. "He always prefers company on Wednesdays."

Ron frowned. "Why?"

"Daisy."

Ron, like the other Aurors knew that Chris and Daisy had a past, but he wondered if it would be connected to the murders in some way. He had no idea what kind of a past it was, though, or what circumstances they'd split-up under, and the Aurors were looking for a source who would give them the information.

"They went out for a while in our seventh year, you know," Rebecca told Ron. "They were in love."

"Then why did they break up?"

Rebecca sighed. "Because of a stupid mistake that Chris made." She glanced at him again. "I can't tell you…"

"Rebecca," said Ron, "You should know that we are trying to dig up these bits of information. We will find out some other way." He pointed to the seat beside him. "If there's anything, please tell me. I've been trying to convey this to you for over a month."

Rebecca looked at Ron, and hesitantly took the seat. "Chris was just so stupid…" she sighed. "He may never forgive me for telling you about this. But, like you said, you'll find out, so I'd rather not have my friends looked at like they're liars."

Ron nodded. "Don't worry. Go on."

"Daisy and Chris had fancied each other for a long time before they finally started seeing each other. It took a lot of nudging, but everyone was happy for them."

Ron took a deep breath. It didn't seem long ago that Hermione and he had got together … after years of fancying each other too. Rebecca didn't seem to notice Ron's expression, though, and she continued with her story.

"Then, just around two months after they had begun to date, Chris told Daisy that he wanted to discontinue their relationship… Chris won't tell me why. He didn't want to talk about it, and I stopped asking. But Daisy obviously didn't like what he did. He was also under the impression that he had done the right thing and left Daisy to be miserable for days, by not speaking to her at all because she wasn't talking to him, and he thought she was being incredibly stupid."

"Then?"

"Daisy was in deep shock. She changed a lot… she was in a miserable condition. And Chris didn't seem to realise that he had fallen in love until around two weeks after they split up. When he started missing Daisy, he thought it was just because of the deep obsession that he had for her, but then, he turned out to be wrong. He went and apologised to Daisy, but she turned a deaf ear to his apologies and said plainly that she would never forgive him for whatever he did. And then… then, like an idiot, Chris did something else."

"What did he do?"

Rebecca shuddered. "I… I'm not sure. You should talk to either Daiy or Chris about it." She looked up at the Auror. "But I promise it has got nothing to do with anything that's happening. But what Chris did struck Daisy even harder and that was when she broke her friendship with me and Belinda, assuming that we were into whatever Chris had done, too. She has changed a lot, ever since. She's subdued. After Chris left her, Daisy began to keep to herself. I remember times when I didn't even realise her presence in our dormitory. So much more has happened to her since then… Charlotte's and Andrew's deaths… all of this has just left Daisy to dissolve into her own trauma."

"Daisy stopped talking to you for no reason, and it wasn't that big of a problem?" Ron asked the teenager.

"She was in a terrible state of mind," Rebecca shrugged. "I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't understand her at such a point, would I?" She bit her lip. "I definitely don't have anything against anyone. Chris and I are best friends, and we have each other to keep our heads cool. Daisy, though, lost her closest friend to the murderer. And to top all that, Liz, Neil and Mike have begun to isolate her from themselves, as they are under the impression that she has killed Andrew. Parineeta, another of Daisy's friends is in India, now, clueless about what's going on here."

Rebecca looked pensive, as she stared at a point behind Ron, concern illuminating her young features. "Daisy desperately needs someone, Ron, she needs someone to comfort her, to listen to her… but who is there? She can't possibly sit and discuss this with her brother; he is too young to understand. Her parents are away at the moment, so the choice of talking to them is gone too. You see? That's why I think that though Daisy is troubled, she could never be the murderer."

There was silence, as Ron considered whatever Rebecca had told him. "Didn't you try to explain everything to Daisy after she broke her friendship with you?" he asked.

"She wouldn't listen. She is very stubborn. But I know that both Daisy and Chris really miss each other. That's why I dine with Chris on Wednesdays, and that is exactly why Daisy never eats alone on Wednesdays either. They went on a date every Wednesday."

Ron shook his head. "Why did Daisy erase your memory of Belinda's murder, if she considers all her ties with you broken, then?"

Rebecca shrugged. "Dunno… she probably felt sorry for me." Her eyes swivelled over to the door and widened as she saw something at a distance. "Oh, no."

Ron turned around to follow her line of vision, just to see Daisy enter the restaurant. She looked slightly pale as she walked in, and as Chris walked past, to the bathroom, both of them pretending to ignore each other, their arms brushed.

Chris looked around immediately, and Daisy paled even further. Everything seemed to freeze as the teenagers looked at each other, eyes wide. But that was just for a moment, because, Chris had already continued along his way as though nothing had happened and Daisy merely decided that she shouldn't be dining in the same restaurant as Chris. She promptly turned and walked out.

Ron looked at Rebecca, slightly saddened by what he had seen. If he didn't sort things out with Hermione now, he too would probably be in a similar condition. And he definitely didn't want that. Rebecca, on the other hand, called him forward to whisper something into his ear. He tilted his head and bent forward, just as he felt someone approach him. But this time, he heard a sob, very close to where he was sitting.

Ron ignored it and Rebecca was just about to say something, when the sobs grew louder. And he looked up just in time to see Hermione turnaround and walk away, the tears evident in her eyes.


	12. Parineeta Roy

Pauie definitely rocks! Thank you for being my Beta, hon!

I'm sorry about the lateness, guys... too much in RL to cope with. Plus, I am in a Harry Potter plot block right now. Basically, all my Potter plot bunnies are causing writer's blocks in me. But I'm snapping out of it, hehe. I think I wrote too much fanfiction at the beginning of this year (five fics in a span of three months - one chaptered), because this is just the worst burn-out ever. Also, like I said, I've developed an addiction to Supernatural. Yes, it means you will be seeing SPN fanfiction from me. I have a HP/SPN crossover called 'Cursed' posted already- a chaptered fic almost as long as this story, and there will be more... once I can find time to write. So all you guys who like Scorpius/Rose and Destiel can go check out my new story. :)

Anyway, hope this chapter is worth the wait. I will try to update within the week. I have a very beautiful five-month-old patient that I have to do this case presentation on, and my exams are coming, so I'm just tired and busy most of the time. But I will try to remove some time!

Please tell me what you think, guys. Haters will be salted and burned by Dean Winchester himself.

* * *

**Chapter 11: Parineeta Roy**

"You look stunning," said Ginny, as Hermione emerged from her room, sporting a simple but lovely blue evening gown. She had held back some of her hair using blue clips, while the rest of her curls were let loose. She applied no makeup. Ginny grinned. "Ron is going to love this."

Hermione smiled. "Well, I'm probably not all that interesting now…"

"Come on, Hermione, Ron still loves you."

"That's just an assumption, isn't it?"

"No. It's the truth."

There was silence, as the two women looked into each other's eyes.

"Let's go," said Ginny, breaking the silence.

Hermione nodded and followed Ginny to the car. In fifteen minutes, Ginny was parking in a lot beside Scoffers. They got out of the car and headed to the restaurant together. Just as they approached the door, it opened and a girl strode out, dressed in casuals and looking pale.

"Hey!" greeted Ginny, grinning at her. The girl smiled, as she and Ginny embraced. Ginny then looked at Hermione. "Hermione, meet Daisy."

"Hi Daisy," said Hermione, smiling.

"Nice to meet you," Daisy replied, holding out her hand to shake Hermione's.

Hermione smiled as she shook hands with the girl. "So, all prepared for the huge batch of memories that you have to erase tomorrow?" Ginny questioned.

"Sort of," Daisy replied. "I'm going to concentrate on my food for the time being. I don't cook on Wednesdays."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Something special on Wednesdays?"

"Well… actually, it was like… well, I have this thing… basically, I don't dine alone on Wednesdays, because… um…" Daisy turned a deep crimson.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "So, who's your dinner companion for today, then?"

"No one… with Andrew gone…"

She was grieving. Ginny felt a little guilty, but she really needed to talk to Daisy. "Shall I come with you?" she offered, after a moment of hesitation.

Daisy looked up, and her face gained much of its colour. "Really?"

Ginny nodded, as Daisy smiled. "Thank you so much, Ginny…I—"

"It's all right," replied Ginny. "Come on, then, let's go and order a takeaway from somewhere. Scoffers has only dine-in. Anyway, Hermione has a date to look forward to." She grinned at Hermione, who smiled shyly and opened the door.

The restaurant was very beautiful with a romantic, elegant interior and well-set tables. Hermione wound her way inside and found Ron. But as soon as she looked at him, her heart sank. Rebecca was sitting opposite him. Well… probably Ron didn't understand the importance of being alone with Hermione at least on this occasion.

Hermione swallowed a lump in her throat and walked on. Probably, Rebecca was there only to discuss matters regarding work. Maybe she'd go away when Hermione joined Ron. Maybe… Hermione gasped, as Ron tilted his head and bent forwards, right towards Rebecca. What was happening? Tears blurred Hermione's vision, and before she could stop herself, a sob escaped her.

She was right beside Ron now, but he had not noticed her. Rebecca had not seen her either. She felt more sobs escape her as the duo kissed and she turned away, just as Ron finally looked up and noticed her.

***

"So, why do you have company for dinner on Wednesdays, then?" asked Ginny, as she and Daisy set the table at the latter's home.

Daisy shook her head, as colour began to rush up her cheeks. "Nothing… just…"

Ginny patted her forearm. "You can talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about, Ginny."

"Well then, you've got a lot of stories to complete, haven't you?" Ginny said to her. _Come on, Daisy, just tell me about you and Chris. Who split you up? Is there a motive for murder somewhere in there?_

"What stories?"

"Well," said Ginny. "We've been friends for two months and all we've gone through are the life histories, case-related stuff and everything for the vat of boring paperwork that I've got. You never said anything ahead of what happened after Chris confessed that he had a crush on you."

"Oh… you know it already… I ran away and—" Ginny could feel the heat radiating from Daisy, now.

"And?"

"N-Nothing… I told you what happened, Ginny!"

"Yeah, you told me all about not being able to sleep and everything, but what happened, finally? I don't think Chris would have only confessed and left it there…"

Daisy shook her head and looked at the floor. "You're right… it didn't end just there.

***

"Hermione, what—?"

Hermione didn't reply. She didn't want to listen to anything. Walking out of the restaurant, she reached the parking lot in search of Ginny. Ginny, however seemed to have left. Wiping her eyes, Hermione walked back to the main street, Ron still following her uselessly. She waited for the road to be clear as she stopped by the pedestrian crossing. When she turned around, she realised that Ron was about to catch up with her. She didn't want to talk to him.

Could she cross the road, just like that? Hermione looked around. There was an approaching bus, but if she hurried, she would be able to cross or else Ron would start off with his explanations.

Hermione ran across, but the hem of her gown came under her shoe and she fell down. The bus driver had not noticed her, however, and it sped right at her… she shut her eyes, as a strong hand enclosed hers and pulled her up, and a pair of arms lifted her. She was let down on the pavement and the same pair of arms wrapped themselves around her. She melted into the affection, more and more tears streaming down her face.

"What did you think you were doing?"

She suddenly realised what she was doing and pushed him away. She didn't want him to touch her. She turned away and began to walk in the opposite direction.

The same hand held hers again and pulled her back.

"Leave me, Ron," she asserted.

"Not until you tell me what my mistake is."

"Oh, right," she replied, wiping off her tears and finally looking at him. His face was pale and his hair was messed up. He also looked as though he'd cry. "Of course you're not wrong, Ron. I always wanted you to go on a date with Rebecca, you know."

"I wasn't on a date."

"Weren't you? Oh, that explains a lot. So the person whom you were sitting with was a figment of my imagination, right?"

Ron sighed. "Hermione, she had come with someone else. I just met her there and ended up talking—"

"— rather intimately. I know, Ron. I told you that you aren't wrong at all."

_"What?"_

"Yeah," replied Hermione. "It was only a small kiss, wasn't it?"

Ron's eyes widened, as he fumbled with his words. "Kiss? I never- that was… oh Hermione, Rebecca wanted to say something in my ear… Merlin…" He sighed, putting his hands into his pockets as he looked around helplessly, searching for words. "I l-love only you, Hermione," he said. "I swear. It was a mistake, okay? P-please…" He bit his lip, drawing in a shaky breath. "Don't do this… ever again. I'll never be a-able to bear it if anything happened to you."

He looked so helpless… like he would really start to cry. Hermione wanted to throw her arms around him and comfort him— tell him that she had not meant to come in the way of the bus. But suddenly, a kind of satisfaction filled her. She actually wanted him to cry. He had let her cry and now, she wanted him to weep, sob, suffer…

"Don't worry, Ron," she said. "Rebecca can dine with you again. You'll have plenty of opportunities."

Hermione waved at a taxi and jumped in, leaving Ron right in the middle of the highway.

***

_"Andrew, I don't think I want to go in there," said Daisy apprehensively, as she and Andrew stood right outside the Great Hall. "Chris is inside, and… and what if…?"_

"Daisy," sighed Andrew, "what's the great worry about? It's not as though Chris is going to run you through with a knife. You've already avoided him at patrol, breakfast and during the Runes lecture… you can't avoid him forever."

"But…"

"What's going on, out here?" asked Liz as she appeared beside them.

"Daisy is nervous about Chris being in the hall," sighed Andrew.

"Oh, yeah!" said Liz gleefully. "Do you at least accept now that you've got feelings for him?"

Daisy went pink. "Yeah… you were right on that account."

Liz chuckled. "I'm never wrong about my friends, Daisy. Come on, then…"

"No!"

"Daisy," said Andrew, exasperatedly. "I'm hungry, you know."

"But you do know what Chris can do! What if he asks me out when I enter?"

"Just say 'yes'," replied Liz. "It's not that hard, you would like to go out with him, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah… but it is difficult," Daisy insisted. "And… and… what if he decides that he wants to kiss me right then?"

"Kiss him back."

"This is the Great Hall!"

"If you really have feelings for Chris, then you'll realise that you don't mind any of it," Liz said, smiling. "And trust me, Daisy; he couldn't get more romantic if he really does that—"

"—and, you'll also forget that you were supposed to be my girlfriend," someone added, and Daisy turned to see Neil, Mike, Parineeta and Charlotte walking towards her.

"Neil…"

"I'm very happy for you, Daisy," said Neil, as he hugged her. "You deserve Chris. He's a very good person."

"Yeah!" Mike said. "Congratulations!"

Daisy raised an eyebrow. "I'm not marrying Chris or something, Mike."

Charlotte giggled. "No, what he meant was that it's great that Chris has finally confessed that he fancies you too, as much as you've fancied him."

Daisy looked amazed. "You knew this, too?"

"Of course I did, Daisy," replied Charlotte. "All of us did, in fact. Liz was the only one to express her suspicions aloud. The others in the school may not have noticed, but we're your friends, and there are few things that you can hide from us. It's been obvious for a while now… to the six of us, at least."

"Yeah," agreed Parineeta. "It was no secret, after all."

Daisy looked at Andrew. "Had you guessed that, too?"

He nodded. "They're right, Daisy, it was very obvious."

"So Chris…?"

"No, Chris never noticed it. Actually, as Charlotte says, only the six of us were able to make it out, really, and that's because we know you so well."

"How didn't I realise, then? I'm supposed to be fancying him, not the six of you!"

"Because you've been ignoring it. You've made your conscience lie to you. And, you've made yourself believe that Chris is too stupid, and that you'll never fall for him, when the truth was that you had already fallen for him."

"Are you a Legilimens?"

Andrew chuckled as he gave Daisy a small hug. "For you, I am. And now, I think we've delayed enough."

"I'm still scared…"

"Hey, I'll be right there," Andrew said. "I'll be beside you, okay? It's not scary at all, trust me."

Daisy looked into Andrew's reassuring eyes and took a deep breath. "All right… I'm ready."

The seven friends walked into the Great Hall, and Daisy strode over to the Ravenclaw table with Andrew by her side. But just before she seated herself, a hand found her shoulder. She turned around to see Chris, his hazel eyes fixed on her. "Er – can we talk?"

"Um… here?"

"Uh – yeah, it won't take long… just maybe…"

"Okay…"

"Um…" Chris looked nervous. "Uh, have you th-thought over whatever I-I said yes-yesterday? I-I mean it's not… I don't- you know, as I said- you… er…"

Daisy smiled. She had never seen Chris this nervous before and realised that she had surprisingly little to worry about. She decided to make Chris's task easier. "Chris, here's my answer: yes."

"… And that T-Transfiguration… er- what?"

"I said, 'yes'."

Chris grinned. "Really?"

Daisy nodded. "Yeah, really… now, Chris-"

But it was too late. He was already doing what she had been about to ask him not to do. In a moment, his lips were on hers and his large hands were laced with her small ones. They were surprisingly gentle for hands belonging to a boy, but firm, nonetheless. His thumb traced her soft palm, and suddenly, she didn't care that the whole school was watching them kiss. She kissed him back with equal passion, feeling his warm thumb caress her palm and her fingers… cherishing the sensation…

There was a whoop and applause broke in the Hall. The couple pulled apart, beaming at each other. Daisy could feel Andrew seated on the bench right beside her, and though she didn't look at him, she knew that he was beaming too. "Come on, let's go out and talk. Come…" she told Chris, as she looked down at Andrew and winked at him. Then taking Chris's hand, she pulled him outside.

The duo walked in silence, all the way to the lake. Finally, as they settled themselves upon the grass, Chris put an arm around her and pulled her close. Then he ran a hand through her hair and kissed her forehead lightly. They sat in the same position for sometime, thinking of what had just happened. Daisy didn't even know where to begin. Finally, as he moved a finger on her cheek, she pulled away and looked up at him. "Which Transfiguration class were you talking about?"

Chris smiled shyly. "You remember that class in which we were turning goblets into jars? I was daydreaming and didn't really listen to McGonagall. You taught me the wand movement for that."

"Yeah, I do… in a way." Daisy frowned, trying to remember. "We were already friends, at that time… I think I held your hand, and… oh… so that's what made you fall for me?"

Chris nodded. "I love your hands." He looked at her and took her hand again, caressing it with his fingers.

Daisy chuckled. "You're a cheesy bastard, you know. You can date my hand, then, what do you say?"

Chris grinned back at her. "Oh, but I'm as fond of the hands as their owner, herself. Didn't I tell you that?"

"And I'm fond of you, Chris, soft hands or not," replied Daisy. She could have easily described this as the happiest day of her life, as she leaned onto his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She and Chris Stevens were finally a couple.

Daisy sighed sadly as she ate. "I was so ecstatic, so happy… but when I look back at those moments today, I feel like an idiot, falling for Chris Stevens."

"Why? What happened? I did notice that—"

"— that I hate him now, yeah. And it's for a reason, Ginny. Something… something that I still find difficulties in even thinking about… I won't forget what he did to me, Ginny, I'll never forget it. That day has been etched on my mind, and I can't forget how miserable I had been for days- even weeks after that. My friends say that I've changed since then… I think I might have." _Nice try_, Daisy thought. _You want the story? You're not going to get it straight._

Ginny controlled a sigh at Daisy's words. Some other time. Daisy wasn't ready to tell her everything yet, but she'd find out. The skeleton in the closet would be out soon.

There was silence, which broke immediately as the doorbell rang. "Who is it, now?" Daisy asked, as she walked to the door. But just when she had thrown it open, a figure launched itself upon Daisy, engulfing her in a hug. "You stupid, silly girl! Couldn't you call me when all of this had happened? Couldn't you speak to me or contact me? Liz tells me that… oh, Daisy, Liz is being so foolish! And – and I've been holidaying… Daisy… and-"

"Hey," said Daisy, pulling herself away, and smiling at the new arrival. "Calm down… I'm fine, okay? Liz will be fine too… she'll realise as time passes, I guess." She then turned to Ginny and stood aside, revealing a short, plump girl with thick dark brown hair and pretty eyes. She was dressed in crinkled clothes. The newcomer looked tired and travel worn.

"Ginny, meet Parineeta; Parineeta Roy," said Daisy, smiling. "She's my friend from Hogwarts."


	13. Shattered

Hello, readers!

I'm sorry for the delay! *puppy dog eyes*.

Well, I'm in the middle of exams and then some writer's block, so I'll try a quick update, but you know how it could get, and I'm sorry!

So I guess it's best not to write too much under exam stress. Haha.

Pauie was the one who converted this to anything remotely readable. Thank you so much!

I also owe huge hugs to Nadia (majestic_ginny) and Hannah (coolh5000) who did a bit of nitpicking on the Murtlap Excerpt section in the Forums in the original draft of this.

Well, enjoy the chapter and please review! Constructive crit is awesome, flamers will be 'ganked' by my intolerance.

* * *

**12. Shattered**

Ron took deep breaths to stop himself from shaking. Hermione had almost got herself killed, and this was all because he had leant in to listen to Rebecca. The shock of almost losing Hermione, combined with the discovery of her assumption that he was romantically involved with Rebecca was causing him to teeter over the edge of a breakdown, but he controlled himself. He was very angry with Hermione for not trusting him, and at the same time, he wanted to take her in his arms and keep her to himself for a long time.

Finally, Ron managed to control the shivers and he crossed the road again, to get to his car. The drive home was uneventful. When he rang the doorbell of the guest house, he prepared himself to face Hermione. He'd talk to her. He'd calm her down. They'd be okay.

The door was opened by Irene, who stared at Ron harshly before letting him inside. As he had anticipated, Harry was seated on a couch with Naina in his arms and a steely glare on his face. Father and daughter were listening to the popular children's show, 'Chad the Chubby Chimaera' on the WWN and even as Naina giggled, Harry looked as though he would declare himself to be the serial killer of London and kill Ron at any moment. Well, thought Ron, Harry did love Hermione like a sister.

He nodded at Harry, sighed lightly and walked on into the dining room. What had happened tonight was not his fault, and he wouldn't let anyone make him feel guilty. But he met with another unexpected sight at the dining room. Hermione was perched on a chair at the dining table and was persuading a very reluctant Rose to have some soup.

"Come on, Rose," she pleaded, "just a small bowl. It's really yummy."

Rose moaned and refused to open her mouth.

"Rose," began Hermione, "I made this just for you! Come on, baby."

Rose pouted and looked away. "No! Not 'ungy."

"Please eat, I promise to get you some chocolate tomorrow if you have this soup like a good girl."

"Uh-uh, I won eat," Rose insisted.

"Don't be stubborn-"

"Why don't you just let her be?" asked Ron, making his presence felt.

Hermione looked up at Ron and frowned. "I don't think you should involve yourself in this, you know, or does Rebecca like children?"

Ron took deep breaths to keep his cool. There would be no point in getting angry, now. But why couldn't Hermione just believe him? "Listen," he replied, "I said this once and I'm saying this again: There is nothing between Rebecca and me, okay?"

"Whatever you say."

"It's the truth."

"Okay."

Ron banged his fist on the table, so the crockery shook. A few droplets of soup sploshed out of the soup bowl in front of Hermione, and she looked up at him, surprised. "_Fine!_" he snarled, while Hermione and an almost tearful Rose looked at him. "Don't trust me. I don't care. I don't give a damn, all right? I have spent all these days, Hermione, with those bloody stupid suspicions of yours and I don't even…" He couldn't go on. "I mean," he continued, "Why the hell did you even agree to marry me if you had to be so disbelieving about everything that I'm doing?"

Hermione broke into tears, while Harry came running from the living room to see what the matter was. Rose looked ready to burst into tears, too. For sometime, there was silence; only Hermione's sobs could be heard in the room.

"Harry? Could you get Naina?" asked Parvati's voice from upstairs, breaking the silence in a way. Harry went back to the living room to get the child, but by that time, Parvati had descended the stairs herself. She stopped dead as she entered the dining room, and drank in the scene as Harry entered with Naina. Then calmly, she turned towards Hermione. "Would you like me to feed Rose?"

Hermione sniffed and shook her head. "Just put her in the cot. She's not eating, anyway. Hopefully, she'll ask for food when she's hungry."

Parvati nodded and lifted the girl. "Come, Harry." The couple went upstairs together.

Ron took one last look at Hermione, and walked to the stairs, but Hermione's voice stopped him. "I don't know why, Ron."

Ron turned around to look at her. Tears were streaming down her face and yet, she looked beautiful. But he hadn't meant to make her cry. He never had. And as he saw what he had done, as he thought of what he had just said, he wished he could take a Time-Turner and just reverse it all, because he hadn't meant a word.

Sighing, he walked to her and sat down at the table. "Listen, Hermione, I really — I didn't realise what I said in my anger."

"No Ron," she replied, wiping her tears. "What you said was absolutely right. I know that you are probably tired of me and I don't blame you for it." Hermione held back a sob, and Ron felt his heart break.

"Hermione…" he put his hand on hers, but she freed herself and got up.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," he said again, standing up with her.

Hermione did not reply. She climbed the stairs to their room, dabbing her eyes with the back of her hands. Ron followed her all the way up. Finally, as they reached their room, Ron walked forward to talk to her, but was shocked when she brushed him away and began to remove her clothes from her wardrobe into a suitcase.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked.

"I'm moving to Ginny's room."

"Hermione—"

She looked at Ron. Her eyes were red and swollen, but she had stopped crying. "Please don't stop me, Ron."

She was almost done with removing her clothes, when there was a knock at the door. Hermione wiped off more of the residual tears. "Who…?"

"It's Parvati."

Not sparing a glance at Ron, Hermione went up to open the door, and let the other woman inside. Parvati had Rose in her arms.

"Is she hungry?" Hermione asked, rather hopefully, taking the child into her own arms.

Parvati looked sad. "I think you must take her to St. Mungo's for a check-up tomorrow, Hermione. She doesn't seem right."

Hermione sniffed and nodded, as Ron looked at her, bewildered. "Why are you taking her to the hospital?"

"She's not eating anything," Parvati replied. "She's never hungry and she keeps saying that her stomach hurts."

"Since how many days has she been like this?"

"Since this morning."

Ron looked at Hermione. "Didn't you find the need to tell me anything? She's my daughter too, you know."

"I know that, Ron, _you_ forgot about it."

"What the hell am I supposed to do? Come to you everyday and ask you whether Rose is ill or not?" Ron asked, frustrated. From the corner of his eye, he could see Parvati backing away from the room.

"She was crying with stomach ache last night, Ron. I tried waking you up and pleaded to you to help me, but you simply weren't interested!" Hermione replied.

"Well, in the middle of the night…"

"Yes? What is your excuse, now?"

"I was tired… I—"

"And Harry was in the perfect stamina, was he?"

"Harry?"

"Yes, Ron, Harry. Harry, Ginny and Parvati helped me last night when Rose started crying. You should be ashamed of yourself! You call yourself Rose's father but you were not there to help me when your daughter was sick."

Hermione had now packed her suitcase completely, and she lifted it and began to walk out.

"Hermione, Hermione!" He caught her arm, trying to stop her.

"Let me go, Ron!"

"Please… please forgive me, Hermione, I—"

"I don't want to listen to you anymore. Let me go."

"Hermione… please don't do this! I promise— I swear I'll never work with Rebecca again. I'll ask Irene to handle—"

"i said I don't want to listen to you!" snarled Hermione, drawing her wand. "Now leave me alone."

"Please…!"

BANG!

Ron was swept off his feet and thrown backwards. He hit the wall and slid down, crashing the back of his head. Little stars popped before his eyes, and by the time he got rid of them, Hermione was gone.

Shakily, Ron stood up, tears starting to build in his eyes, but he blinked them back. He'd get Hermione to listen… he knew he would… wouldn't he?

He collapsed onto his bed, burying his face in his hands, elbows on his knees. He felt sick. He felt helpless. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to get his wife to listen? When he looked up again, Hugo was standing in his cot to see what had happened. Ron looked at the child, and as their eyes met, Hugo sniffled; tears welling up his own eyes. Ron got up, controlling his emotions as he walked over to his son. "What is it, kiddo? What's the matter?" he asked, picking up the child and wiping away his tears.

"Why if Mummy yelling, daddy?"

"I've been very bad," said Ron, truthfully. "So your mummy screamed at me."

Someone knocked again, and Ron looked around to see Parvati at the doorway. "Hermione wants you to take care of Rose."

Ron took a deep breath and nodded, as he took his girl from Parvati's arms. The latter looked at Ron and asked softly, "Why are you doing this, Ron?"

"What am I doing, Parvati? I really don't get this! Hermione is just misunderstanding me… I don't know what to do!"

Parvati sighed. "Hermione spoke to me, and I know that there's nothing between you and Rebecca, and I'll try to convince her too. But it's up to you to win back her confidence."

The raven-haired woman then patted Ron on the shoulder and walked away, leaving Ron as confused as ever.

Parineeta smiled at Ginny, who held out her hand.

"This is Ginny Weasley, Pari," Daisy said. "She's an Auror and is on this murder case with Harry Potter and a few others."

Pari's eyes widened, as she shook Ginny's hand. "Sweet Helga! I'm absolutely in love with Harry Potter, did you know that?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow. Harry would be thrilled to know about an extended teenage fan club of his.

"Pari… don't be ridiculous," Daisy was scolding her friend. She smiled at Ginny and continued, "She's crazy, you know."

"Don't worry about it," said Ginny. "Harry is used to this now."

Daisy decided to change the topic. "Come on, Pari, join us. We were just eating."

"Oh, good!" Pari exclaimed. "I'm ravenous!"

They went to the dining room. Daisy set a place for Pari at the table and they sat down to eat. Pari was a pleasant, funny, bubbly and eccentric person, and Ginny managed to ask her about the last few months, but it turned out she had been in India, which meant she had stone-clad alibis. Ginny added her to the end of her suspects list anyway. They finished dinner, and Ginny bade goodbye to Daisy and Pari and proceeded home.

As she watched Ginny walk away, Daisy sighed and shut the door and made her way to the living room, where Pari was waiting. Daisy seated herself next to her friend and smiled wanly.

Pari raised her eyebrows. "So, are you going to tell me what's going on? How and why is an Auror so friendly with you? And all of you forgot me completely, didn't you?"

"Of course not, Pari," said Daisy, "I tried to contact you when Charlotte… well… got attacked. They even kept the funeral late, thinking that you'd turn up. Then Liz wrote to you, too. After that, Andrew… I wrote to you about that, too."

"And why didn't I receive them, then?"

"I don't know! Pari, do you think I'd ever forget you? After what you've done for me? I don't know why they didn't reach you. Maybe they got lost along the way. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay, I understand," Pari nodded. "But what's going on, here? I don't think Aurors usually interact with the people they're supposed to interrogate?"

Daisy took a deep breath. "I don't know what's happening there, Pari, but I want you to promise me something."

"Go on."

"You can't tell them everything when they ask you about me and Chris, okay?"

"Well, you know I won't. It's your story to tell anyway. But what happens if they know?"

"Pari… Ginny is here to try and wheedle some kind of a story or confession out of me. And… I can't…"

"Do _you_ know something?"

"No…" Daisy trailed away. "Yes…"

Pari's eyes widened at this. "What's going on?"

"I can't tell you."

"What has this got to do with you and Chris?"

"It's…" Daisy paused. "I don't want them to know about whatever happened. That's all."

Pari stared at her for a while, and nodded. "All right, then. I'll be careful. Are you going to try to speak to Liz?"

"No."

"Why?"

"She was the one who told the Aurors that I must be included as a suspect." Daisy looked straight at Pari, and soon, she was pouring her heart out. "First, Andrew was dead, and then, Liz, Neil and Mike stopped talking to me. How much can a person take, Pari? I'm human! And tell me, do you think I could ever kill Andrew? Does being with him half-an-hour before the murder or having private conversations with him mean that I must be suspected? I'm tired of telling people that I'm innocent. I'm done, Pari, I don't even feel like living anymore. I feel strangled… bound and helpless. I feel like running away, going somewhere, and never returning. I—"

"Hey…" Pari's arms had found their way around Daisy, Daisy couldn't go on anymore. The hug overwhelmed her. She felt like screaming— screaming in the agony that had been taking over for two months, now.

Pari seemed to understand Daisy's pain, for she didn't say anything for a while. But when Daisy pulled away, eyes down, Pari kept a hand on her shoulder. "I believe you completely, all right? I'll always support you, no matter what. I know that you aren't responsible for this."

Daisy didn't reply. She could only do her best to stop herself from practically howling, as she drew deep, calming breaths. Pari pulled her close again. Daisy felt all the grief, pain and loneliness form a lump in her throat. But no. She wouldn't cry. She would be strong. Crying was a sign of weakness— a sign of defeat. And Daisy was neither weak, nor was she defeated. She would fight and make sure that she won. It took a few moments for Daisy's breathing to steady, but Pari held her close even then, only letting her go when Daisy pulled away.

A few stray tears had fallen out of Pari's eyes. She sniffled. "You're coming home with me."

"Pari, I…"

"Daisy, you will not say no. You will pack your bags now and come—"

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Please…? I want to stay here. I must stay here."

Pari looked into Daisy's eyes. "All right. But you will tell me about everything."

"In time," Daisy nodded. "I promise."

Pari got up from the couch. "I guess I'll go, then. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"You take care, Pari, I'll be fine… bye…"

Pari gave Daisy a last smile as they walked quietly to the door. She walked out to the gate and, with a last wave, vanished under a secluded tree.

Daisy closed the door, her heart a lot lighter. One of her friends, at least, was with her.

Ron turned and changed his position as he slept, trying to block out the noise. Someone was wailing and his sleep was getting disturbed. "Hermione… just see if Rose or Hugo is crying… I'll join you in a minute…"

There was no answer, but the wails grew louder.

"'Ermione…" groaned Ron, feeling for her beside him. But all he felt was the pillow and the mattress. He had forgotten that Hermione had moved to Ginny's room. "Oh no…"

Ron opened an eye, trying to identify the voice. It was Rose, and she was positively howling now. He got off his bed and walked to her cot, to see her crying with her eyes shut. He sighed and lifted her gently. "Hey, Rose, what happened?"

"M'mmy…!" cried the little girl, tears streaming from her eyes.

"She's sleeping, sweetheart, but tell Daddy if you want anything."

"MUMMY!" yelled Rose, struggling in Ron's grip.

Ron, who couldn't say anything more, held her close, stroking her soft curls. What could he do now? Rose seemed to have had a bad dream… or was her stomach hurting again? "Rose, Daddy is here… it's okay, darling."

It didn't do anything to stop Rose's wails and Hugo had woken up already, looking very grumpy and close to tears, too. Ron was about to swear, when he realised that his children might pick up the words and stopped himself just in time. Instead, he made another valiant attempt at comforting Rose. "Shhh, Daddy's here… tell me darling. What do you want?"

This seemed to work a bit, for Rose stopped wailing and sniffed slowly. "Miwk."

"Oh… okay, let's get some for you. Come on."

Ron let her down for a bit and lifted Hugo, stroking the boy's back before he could be upset. "I'll just get Rose her milk, okay? Be a good boy, and don't be scared. I'll be back."

Ron walked out with Rose in his arms. It was getting cold, and Ron assumed that it was about to rain. There was a crack of lightning. And that was when Ron realised his mistake. "Darn…"

Sure enough, a loud wail issued from his room. The burst of lightning had been enough to scare Hugo. "Shit… Rose, one minute, just—" He put Rose down on the corridor and ran into the room. But he had forgotten something again. Light travels faster than sound… and so…

There was a roar of thunder. Rose would go off now, surely. Ron picked up Hugo from his cot and ran to Rose. She looked at him with her big, damp eyes, and in a moment, Ron was trying to comfort two children who were scared out of their wits. They wouldn't stop crying as much as Ron tried to quieten them. He carried Rose in one arm, Hugo in the other and began to walk to the dining room. He had just reached the corridor outside Harry and Parvati's room, when their door opened to reveal Parvati with Naina, who looked as though the lightning had scared her, too.

Ron had never been so relieved all his life. He looked at Parvati with pleading eyes. She smiled. "Harry, could you just come here?" In a moment, Harry had Hugo in his arms and the party was heading towards the dining room. Parvati warmed milk and poured it in two cups for Rose and Naina. Hugo didn't want anything; he was just scared. They all sat on the sofas, then; Harry holding Hugo close, Parvati feeding Naina from her cup and Ron desperately trying to feed Rose. Once he got her to start drinking, he sighed and leaned back against the chair, missing Hermione already.

* * *

**Review response:**

**Fred**- Um... thank you, but Hermione will not be abusing Ron. I can assure you that without fear for spoiling this lol. :)


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